Looking to connect with investors in Jacksonville and Oklahoma City

[Joon Kang]

Hey all, 

I am new on BiggerPockets and to real estate investing. I am currently living in Los Angeles, but wanting to get into investing where I have some connections in northern Florida and in Oklahoma City.

I wanted to see if I could pick anyone's brains who have had experience in either of these markets (investors, investor-minded realtors, lenders) —and more specifically:

1.) If long-term, turnkey 3/2s at ~$250k (about the max range we can afford) are a viable cashflow option (after running some numbers, it seems unlikely), or if rehabbing would be a better move, 

2.) Approximate appreciation of some of your properties

3.) How to go about finding off-market deals

I apologize in advance if this all sounds very novice of me! My motivation to invest recently went up due to my wife being pregnant with our second, and would love some pointers from some seasoned pros.