I would try to find an agent with investor experience and, ideally, a focus on investment properties. 

I'm a pretty handy guy but this would be outside of my realm, but my experience helps me understand how much this type of improvement should cost.Improvements: remodel kitchen and bathroom, paint interior, fix exterior scafolding.How should I go about finding a contractor?

The data @Devin Conley posted is pretty solid from my experience (I do not know Devin nor how he sourced the data, just going by my own investing experience).  

For the past two years, I’ve been diving deep into the world of real estate, and I’ve accumulated over four years of active experience in acquisitions.

It’s incredible that his experience would be so similar to mine.

I used to cold call, skip trace, send mailers, and don't get me wrong you will get success from it like James above, however as you gain experience you will realize you need deals faster, easier, cheaper, and with more "meat on the bones" and in order to have that you need constant deals flowing through your eco system and that's hard to do with mailers, cold calls, VA's and skip tracing etc.

Right now, I am not as interested in investing as I am in helping another investor in order to get some hands-on experience while my wife and I save a little bit more money.

Requirements:✔ Experience in international taxation: Understanding of the Germany-USA Tax Treaty and cross-border income taxation✔ Specialization in real estate: Tax treatment of rental income, depreciation, tax benefits, and investment deductions✔ Tax optimization strategies: Maximizing deductions (e.g., business travel, home office), optimizing mixed-income structures✔ Long-term tax planning: Strategies to reduce tax liabilities and avoid unexpected tax payments✔ Proactive advisory & clear communication: Ability to explain complex tax matters in simple terms and provide proactive tax-saving solutionsAdditional Considerations:Expertise in tax treatment of travel to Germany (e.g., for real estate management)Experience with compliance in both countriesIf you meet these qualifications and are interested in working together, or know someone who meets our requests, please send a message. 

This experience has provided me with a strong foundation in acquisitions, valuations, and deal sourcing.

I have read all of the "trends" and statistics but now I am Looking for feedback on personal experience in the Akron market.I appreciate it!