I'm looking to make the transition from residential to commercial investing and think I've identified an opportunity with a restaurant space in a pretty attractive area. 

See: transit oriented development

We just last year made the transition to a professional financial advisor who acts as our CFO.

Some target lists to consider:Absentee Owners with Equity (be aware that in some areas this is getting over-mailed so you might want to mail exclusively to this group)Seniors with Long-Time Ownership (often ready to downsize or transition to assistance)Owners with Low Financial Stability Scores (combine with age, high equity and length of ownership to get extra layer of motivation)

In fact, this flip went relatively smooth despite it's late start.

Seller more than likely is aware of the same things you are that area is in transition and that time to sell is now to maximize returns. 

I am a believer in being close to transit when it comes to rentals, and that location is solid.

I want to start investing in multi-family and then transition to larger multi-families.

What started off being a smooth listing for a fellow national guard guy is starting to turn sour I agree.

We are planning to manage ourselves, although we would like a second property by year's end and look to transition to a pm.