And if this is illegal in some states...what exactly is illegal about finding interested investors and matching them up with a funding source?

Meet ups could be a good source too since you’re in a big market. 

Detroit is very much a block-by-block city, so having local knowledge is absolutely critical.

The process seems daunting and overwhelming, and I am not confident I will put the time in to talk to sources, analyze, and find properties for investing purposes. 

Quote from @Sri Reddy: I am a newbie to real estate investing and looking for guidance from the teams here to understand the sources from where we can find any small retail spaces to buy.

As a foreign buyer, you are to look for 2 things in particular: the temporary foreign ban (which they keep pushing further back) and the source - The foreign purchase ban which applies across the board. yes there are exceptions but if you are not a Canadian tax Resident (which it seems you are), you will need to look for communities where the population is less than 100,000 in general. - Another exception to note on that foreign buyer ban is the number of units/doors for your investment: I believe the magic number is 5+ as this would be considered as commercial Real Estate- In Ontario, you will also have to look our for the Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) which imposes about 25% on the purchase tax.

Yes, Evan Conner has been an excellent source for us in the Ozarks area of Missouri.

Check out traceestate.com I have been using them and the sourcing company that they incorporated for the last few years.

.: There are sources to obtain the financing you want to buy more property.

It sounds intriguing and like it could be a another good source from homes since the MLS has been pretty dry lately/hard to make houses pencil out for flips.Is buying from auctions a good idea?