I talked to a Lady in Nashville and walked her through the process and she was able to do this and made some pretty spectacular gains on recreating old parcels.

The paint is never going to be perfect and its far easier to pick up on imperfections in a vacant house.

Pick a few and message them to see who will work best with you.

Things will pick back up again in January.

The key is to pick the right out of state market.

Go to the food pantry and pick up blocks of cheese.  

A good friend of mine recently managed to pick up a modest duplex outside Phoenix that looked risky at first glance.. low rents, older neighborhood.. but with a few smart upgrades, it became a steady earner in under a year.You mentioned your worries about remote investing and the challenges of managing properties from afar.

@Camille Romerounless you are able to spend some significant time in your chosen location in person, and work on building a network there, i would pick a market closer to NYC, within a couple hours.  

You picked a good week to meet other investors: the RPA is hosting their annual RPA-CON Friday and Saturday in Milwaukee.

And don’t hesitate to tap into local investor groups or meetups; you’ll pick up tons of wisdom from folks who’ve been in your shoes.