Once you have ran through about 3 months or so of this and penciled out 50-100 deals for fun, I would talk to a local agent and start the process of looking.

If you're focusing on rural properties, sometimes local community banks or credit unions are open to these types of deals.

., so do you mean living in one state while a local PM manages a STR for you in the other state?

i feel like the local FB groups will not allow me to advertise my STR there because they would label it as "soliciting".. any way to get around this so that it doesn't look like i'm soliciting? 

So those general expenses get categorized to the holding company as the parent organization.

Could you please recommend any local real estate agents?

If they do, your best bet is a local community bank that funds these types of properties.Another option is a private lender but that money will be pretty expensive, as mentioned 10%  + 

Quote from @Edward Barrett: New investor here trying to stay in my local market (Dayton, OH).Since I've started looking for my first deal I've come across a few section 8 properties that seem to pencil, but I'm a bit loath to jump into that kind of deal.

I'm currently looking for a flip locally - within 30-45 minutes of Lancaster, PA. 

I plan to manage the properties myself until it conflicts with my regular job.I would appreciate any advice on these markets to ensure success and connect with local investors.