The Long-Distance Real Estate Investing book is a great one to get the lay of the land on doing it from afar, but getting on-site experience will also be important in your journey.

The Triad area in NC is an exciting market, and it’s fantastic that you’re embracing long-distance investing—especially after listening to the BP podcasts for inspiration.

I live in Suwanee, Atlanta, and commute to work in Alpharetta.

They visited Waco on the Magnolia tour idea and saw the houses, saw the prices and wished they could have moved there and just commuted maybe 1 or 2x a month for the office meeting.   90min drive every day would have been killer, but a couple of times a month they thought wasn't bad.

This is a plus.Transparency and reliability – Ask about their process for keeping clients updated, especially on long-distance deals.

I've read Brandon's RE Investing Book, David Greene's Long Distance RE Investing, Tax Strategies for the Savvy, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Chad Carson's new book on Retiring Early w/ RE, etc.

Consistent with the advice of @Jo Bradley , if I could get through the first couple years financially, keeping current home seems a lot easier than long distance investing...and at least I know what is wrong with my current home (I.e it will eventually need new roof etc). 

It would be great to connect with those who have already covered some distance on a similar journey as well as those who are just starting!

You should focus on duplexes in Huntsville for a house hack" - Jane in Montana;  great, except there are an incredibly few duplexes in Huntsville"Hazel Green is an easy commute from Huntsville and shouldn't affect your rental prospects" - Joe in Chicago. 

Big-ups on completing a long-distance flip!