In online forums, the danger I've experienced is the "national" effect. 

You can also check their reviews online at Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

Begin by educating yourself through books like The House Hacking Strategy and podcasts like BiggerPockets, and join online communities for support.

However, after many discussions with my mentor, I decided to pursue that avenue of investment at a later date.

I’d love to hear about the crime rates or any other issues (which we cannot guess from the online stats), and how easy or hard it is to find reliable tenants and property management companies.

I use QuickBooks Online for all of my clients.

I have just started in a 3-day training for the Lee Arnold broker certification program and thus far just completed the online material required for preparation. 

Start by networking through local meetups, REIA groups, and online communities like BiggerPockets to connect with experienced investors.

They will have additional costs for mailing & online campaigns to get leads.

Have you had it evaluated by a Realtor, or are you relying on Zillow or other online algorithms to estimate your property's value?