The issue in Cleveland from my research and talking with some of the top brokers is that it is difficult to assemble a solid team on the ground.

Saad,In any real estate investing endeavor, it's important to assemble a team.

It essentially looks like you're paying for the privilege of them screening properties and assembling a list for you.

You father in-law should be happy that you are bright enough to assemble all of the moving parts for this project, and also in the end will get his land sold.

Since you are new to rental investing and going out of state you basically have three options - do it all yourself and self-manage it (massive headache and huge learning curve for a new investor, ESPECIALLY if you go lower-tier C or D, distressed property), assemble a team of a property manager, contractor, etc yourself and manage your team, or go turnkey and basically cut the check and then collect rent. 

All are high dollar firms, I doubt you want to go there on a house deal.When you get to most RE types here, it's very possible (probable IMO) that they are not up on financing where a buyer in a RTO is credited with rents or in reducing a sale price which is credited from your payments, which is financing.To paint you a picture of this town, the World Headquarters of the Assemblies of God is here and we have the only Congressman elected in this century who only has a high school diploma and his other education was passing a RE broker's test.

I have had good luck purchasing ready to assemble cabinets thru the Internet.

The 30 are assembled by the criterion and the 1 deal is sifted from 3 by the terms, so I'm wanting to know what mechanisms you think he is assuming for the other two steps and/or what *you* use in those steps to whittle down.

My father built panels and then assembled a garage with assistance.  

My mother is a relatively new real estate agent but is working under a very experienced Columbus agent that also holds investment property, and a good friend of mine is a loan officer with American Eagle Mortgage, so I have begun assembling my "team".