It's a 3 restaurant package in West Virginia (where we already have a base) and includes 1 piece of real estate.

Based on that number of units I would expect much higher figures - did you buy these buildings all/mostly cash?

My passion lies in expanding my portfolio of long-term rentals and diving into property flipping as I grow in this journey.My main goals are to connect with like-minded investors and professionals, share experiences, and soak up as much knowledge as I can from this incredible community.If you’re based in Georgia or working on similar projects, I’d love to connect and hear about your journey!

In almost all investments, you should have a solid base of reliable, cash-flowing, and hopefully appreciating assets before striking out into something new or riskier. 

I want to be able to find potential markets/listings nationally based on the return.

Investors come to our market because of the low barrier to entry and that we have a solid tenant base that provides solid cash flow to out-of-state investors like yourself.

Short of that, you may target employees of Canada-based companies with a presence in KC (this is easy to find on LinkedIn).

One I know is based in LA as that's a huge market of course..

Based on my current savings rate, it would take me about 3-4 years to save up enough for the down payment on my first investment property.

You should consult a tax professional for an answer based on your unique situation, this is not tax advise just general information.