I live overseas and don't have ready access to a local market to research, understand, and invest on my own.

I would think that a property manager would be able to assess your specific unit, be able to determine what market rate is for the local area and the quality of the unit, what the market rate rate is for your specific unit, to suggest what your unit could rent for based on some improvements and have a sense of what rent increase would be tolerable by the tenants. 

However, most of my tenants are locals who have lived here their whole lives.

Just looking for a local to chime in.Thanks!

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

There are successful real estate investors in your local market too. 

But honestly, you'll want to shop around and compare a few local PMs since fees and services can vary quite a bit.

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

The buyer pool is beyond flakey..Your best bet is a local investor.

My realtor is reaching out to local lenders now to ask questions so I'll see what they tell me directly but I'd rather buy more sooner than later if we can.