Personally, my favorite way of sourcing deals is building relationships with brokers and nurturing those relationships by checking in consistently.

As a VA, you’d want to build on that by getting familiar with tools that real estate professionals use.

I'm also looking to build a network and connect. 

The previous owner took exceedingly good care of the building and there was nothing that need to be done except to raise the rents.

Hey Brian, Generally, a HML org will want to see some diligence around the contractor or get some idea of past work if you're doing the work yourself.

I do want liquidity to invest elsewhere which is why I'd like the cash back from the reno ASAP, but I don't need liquidity equal to the value of the house--just the basement build-out, if possible.With option #3--how do you "cash out immediately"?

Building a strong team is essential for success, and we’re here to help.

In a city like Philly, you will face many challenges - you need to learn the market and know the neighborhood and the block and make sure all of your numbers are within reason, you need very reliable contractors, you need a to understand the permit process, you need to be familiar with market expectations. 

One particular point can not be over emphasized; even if someone has and is willing to invest the capital in attempting to build or scale their business or investments, they still May fail if they do not possess or can not evaluate those who CLAIM to possess the necessary expertise required for scaling. 

They see foreigners as one-off buyers so they're not too much concerned about building a relationship or their reputation in the eyes of somebody who doesn't live there for that matter.