If approaching the seller directly, how do you recommend I go about it? 

If NY is where you decide to be I would strongly recommend connecting with @Mohammed Rahman he is who I would use. 

I don't ever recommend someone buy a property having never seen or been there.It sounds like @Dustin Hagemaier would be a great resource for you.

Ian - do you have any recommendations for a good securities law attorney? 

Have you invested in any of these areas, or do you have others to recommend?

What I recommend people do is tell the lender ok great I am going to want to use my own title company to close this so funds would go to them.

It's mostly Class A properties, a few Class B.You may find the below copy & paste info useful in addressing your question:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Are there any markets you would recommend for long distance investing?

I would actually recommend using the agent finder for the market your looking to get started in to find you an agent that specializes in out-of-state investors in your chosen market.

Sellers do not recommend appraisers.