Hopefully, this is a useful example of what’s achievable with out-of-state investing, even with no local connections. 

Once you have ran through about 3 months or so of this and penciled out 50-100 deals for fun, I would talk to a local agent and start the process of looking.

Do I contact appraisers and local title insurance agencies to begin to find one that I could use? 

Detroit is a market where local have a strong competitive advantage over non-locals so you want to use that to your advantage.

Hoping to find a local community to get involved with, maybe through Bigger Pockets. 

I’m open to brokerage inquiries and excited to contribute my skills to the local market.What I'm Looking For:I'm actively seeking "live and flip" opportunities to kickstart my real estate portfolio in Arizona.

I would recommend attending some local meet up groups or REIA meetings.

Good to see another local investor in Charleston.

Otherwise, just go through all the local/regional banks.   

Operating an Airbnb business requires being up to date on current local ordinances and restrictions.