I would check out the yellowbird facebook group, it's extremely active and focused on just Jacksonville and there will be people in the group that know the areas much better than me. 

We also wouldn't recommend trying to DIY manage.Most S8 tenants will be Class C and Class C properties are extremely difficult to manage remotely!

It can be extremely stressful especially while your down payment is held in escrow and you're only receiving 2nd hand updates.Do you know under which circumstances you'd be able to back out of the deal and retain your deposit?

More power to you and Sam!

Verifying last 2 years of rental history and income extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.Make sure you understand the Class of properties you are looking at and the corresponding results to expect.The City of Detroit has 183 Neighborhoods we’ve analyzed.PM us if you’d like to discuss this logical approach in greater detail!

Buyers now have more choices, and that means power is in their hands!

My partner was on the acquisitions side of things, so he is extremely knowledgable in novations and creative ways to get the property under contract and I still have an extensive list of buyers, I have built very good relationships with from when I was doing dispositions.I am open to any thoughts on the best way to start and I am open to networking with any one to hear how you got started and what you would do differently now that you have more experience under your belt!

My tenant friendly market (San Diego) has long term housing shortage that the tenant friendly laws mostly act as a balance of power. 

Self-managing from a distance is extremely difficult.  

.- Any potential pitfalls to watch out for during this process.If anyone has navigated a similar setup or has referrals to professionals who can help, I would be extremely grateful for your input!