For the areas of interest (you are local so I'll say suburbs west of City Line Avenue) there are few and far between -and- have many investors sitting on large sums of cash to jump on anything that comes up (where I would be navigating a reverse 1031.) 

I have a bank locally that will use DOT as collateral for loans.

I found this deal as an off-market property through my local network in the Hamptons.

I refinanced it into a  5% 30-year mortgage with a local bank as the seller would only carry the loan for a year.

It’s worth reaching out to your local tax office to explore options.

I found this deal as an off-market property through my local network in the Hamptons.

I suggest you start out by meeting like minded people and here is a link to a local meetup in the OC: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/1225233-ocre...Good Investing...

In The Tampa Bay Area local investor in the items inside the home/business but looking to get with the right people to build a team.

You will need their advice on your state & local laws to properly proceed.

Once the time is right, with enough research, I would jump into a market (hopefully local if affordable) and get started.