I’m trying to assess which neighborhoods might have the best rental demand and growth potential, but I’m not sure I’m covering all the bases when It comes to pre-foreclosures and foreclosures.I’ve also been wondering how essential it is to work with a real estate agent or wholesaler when identifying opportunistic distressed properties.

Your agent should be able to provide all off this for you and more, this is just my .02.    

It just depends on your goals.You also have to be careful with posts like these, this is where all the real estate agents come in and tell you that their market is best so that they can get your business.If your goal is appreciation, I would focus on higher price point markets.

.✅ No longer can a buyer agent commission (that would be paid for by the listing brokerage or seller) be marketed on the MLS listing.✅ An agreement must be in place between the buyer and buyer’s agent before any properties can be toured.It should be noted these rules are in line with the NAR settlement and is an MLS participation requirement, not state law

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Quote from @Rob Gallitto: Agent.

You can certainly ask the agent who helped you purchase the property for advice too ;)Since you are using a PM to run things, I don't see any need to meet anyone except your PM and the contractor/handyman you plan on using for repairs/updates.

I called a local real estate agent there he said the tornados were 7 years ago and they did not affect Signal Mountain at all.

Not sure if that will be helpful.You could also work with your agent about a big umbrella policy to cover the uninsured parts.

Night Before the Exam dot com is a good state study test if they have it for your state.To be clear though, the majority of what you learn in the class is not used by residential real estate agents in practice.