I've done it all... buying tenant occupied, doing BRRRR's, section 8, doing full gut renovations, etc.I also help clients do these things from out of state.I lived in Troy (just outside Detroit) from 2017-2022 but I'm back in California now.

@Rashim Sharma your biggest challenge will actually be finding a lender.There are two banks that have offices in USA and Detroit that often will lend to Canadians buying in the USA.Can refer you to a Tax Attorney here is the US that has hundreds of Canadian clients with US properties:)

This could be rehabs, adding bedrooms/units, etc.Most of my clients do buy and hold because of the above mentioned.

My out-of-state clients love it here because they are still able to find deals here at a very cheap price point, around $120k to $180k.

I always ask my clients to speak to an attorney because so many things are left out of wholesale contracts. 

For the record, I receive ZERO compensation for making these referrals; I'm just a satisfied client!

I started investing in Phoenix in my 20s too, and it's been quite the adventure.About your F1 visa situation, while I'm not an attorney or CPA, I had a client a while back in a similar postion.

What I wrote above does not create an attorney/client relationship between us.

AKA attorneys are hired to draw up/revise/review and sign contracts with their clients, in NYC and Long Island: Attorneys are also the ones that handle ordering title searches and etc. 

Simply scroll to the bottom and you can actually interact with clients like @Bill B. who have direct experience working with that QI.If you have a comfort level working with someone local that is perfectly fine.