A few things to ask are the following:1.

That's not even the tip of the iceberg; it's so far away.

Hello Doug, I am not a real estate attorney nor is this legal advice.Unless someone's state has specific laws banning contract assignments you should be fine doing the following.  

One more tip hit town homes and condo communities in the area.

Any tips are welcome.

Why not the MLS?

@Jim LynchSome typical minimum tenant screening requirements look like the following, but it depends on your market:-Renter has a gross monthly income of 3x more than the monthly rent-Minimum credit score of 650-Renter must have no prior evictions-No felons (or other notable criminal history)There are a number of different tenant screening softwares out there such as Zillow Rental Manager, TransUnion SmartMove, etc.Be sure to complete an employment verification by contacting the renter's employer and confirm the details they shared with you, landlord verification (if they have a previous landlord), credit check, and background check.

I alwasy respond yes and ask my standard follow up questions and never once have they responded back to schedule a showing. 

I would visit local meetups for real estate investing, and also network with agents in your area that work with a lot of investors.

Drive around the neighborhoods to understand the lay of the land - if you have someone who will take you around and explain, better yet.