I was considering staying close to home.

When you tell them they will only get paid when the loan closes, they will disappear.If required, the only money you should ever send to the lender is for a credit check.

If you close with a conventional loan, it will need to be in your personal name.

I would like turn key properties for my first deal but not opposed to fixing some up and then renting them long term.

I'm only at 3 rentals and just 1 tenant can make or break you trying to be a PM while also working a w-2, I've already come close. 

Another trick from investers I’ve worked with is chatting up folks at local meetups who’ve recently navigated the same municipality.. they’re often happy to share how fast or slow things move.

Look up NYS Weatherization/Empower.

I've been in Rod's small group for about 6 months up to this point.  

Do you not have your $7K share to close?

You may have to put more money down (10-15%), but you can close, in a LLC, with no worries about banks.