Many challenges can be avoided if you work with someone that can give you professional guidance in the market you choose.

Knowing what i know today, I always encourage new investors to do their first investments with professional guidance if you can find it -not so much the guru courses, but a personal approach from a genuinely experienced investor in the market you are entering.

You are soliciting professional advice from people who know what they are talking about and you can take it or leave it.

They sound like regular conversations where the RE professional/investor is genuinely interested in discovering the seller's pain points to help find a solution.All the best!

Members span the gamut from "mom and pops" to large professional management corporations. 

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Does that include covering your (future) retirement needs, health care costs, all other corporate benefits?

There is a good real estate professional group in the area that I think mainly communicate via Facebook.

A licensed property manager should have access to the MLS which would put you on realtor.com, Zillow, and probably a dozen or more other websites.You don't need professional photographs, but they should be improved.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?