For any investors who are knowledgeable about these areas or are currently active here, are there any particular neighborhoods, zip codes that stand out as good starting points.

He is active on this site and may be able to help you in Rochester

3 of my faves when I was active for entity structure,  contracts and landlord-tenant have retired but Ryan Feeney of Overcast Law was very good with landlord-tenant matters. 

I don't have as many tips for solutions mid rehab, but I do know that most, if not all, of the very active investors that I know have established relationships with 2 or 3 lenders that specialize in programs that match their strategy and have an agent or two in the investors target market to help them find more deals without having to put much work into finding them.

We took a course recently and one of the main points the guy stressed was to just "get the house under contract" asap and then do the inspections and any other due diligence after.

I would recommend that your lease reflect a flat rate fee - for example, my lease states that I need a 30 day written notice if they are moving out while in an active lease, there is a $500 early termination fee, and the tenant is responsible for the rent until a new tenant is secured (this helps to encourage the tenant to leave the property empty and in good repair). 

The key is to find an activity that can get you conversations with potential sellers every day.

I know how stressful it can be with those gaps in monthly income.I personally use the standard Chicago Association of Realtors lease...do you have a copy of this by chance? 

Sometimes it's better to just dump out and not redeem and be relieved you don't have to stress about it any more. 

You can own real estate directly, which is active ownership, or indirectly, which is passive ownership.