If you looked at a crime map you'd probably steer clear.

The best thing you can do is find someone who you can talk with occasionally to help steer you for your first 1-2 deals.Look for someone local who does it by participating in local REI meetups, call a few real estate offices and ask for an agent who is also a RE investor, look online for a connection who can give you some time.RE is hyper-local so your best resource is someone who is familiar with the area you will be operating in.Even with 20 years experience I am glad to have a CFP who understands real estate so that I can bounce ideas around.

Steer clear completely? 

Be aware that most professionals (FA's) want to steer you towards a product they can make money off of - by managing or selling, like Bob pointed out.

I would steer clear of 'just any lawyer'.

It’s hard to get to the right people who can steer you in the right direction.

But a good place to start is by figuring out what a rough price per square foot cost would be in your area for a unit turn, cosmetic, and full gut renovation.Here in Chicago unit turn might run $15-25/SF, Cosemtic $45-65. and full renovation $90-$110 of interior renovations only.Hopefully this at least steers you in the right direction.

. 🔨 Background: In my SFR3 days, I steered acquisitions in Little Rock, AR, tallying over 100 successful acquisitions, rehabs turned rentals during my tenure.

I did this to shed light on my investor experience and to help steer other out of state investors into making better decisions.

She'll be sharing valuable insights on maximizing your tax savings, avoiding legal entity traps, and steering clear of common tax mistakes, even those made by CPAs!