However, I'll never second guess what my well-connected and trustworthy contacts on the ground tell me, especially if it's very (negative).

Our thought process, is that we should purchase a property in the villages or very close by as this is a very good middle ground for the said areas above.

I’d also reach out to the Hancock County Planning Department to get a feel for how flexible they might be on replating and rezoning—better to get ahead early.For renovations, if you don’t have boots on the ground yet, ask for referrals through local investor-friendly agents.

You're just going to need to find a couple of folks on the ground that you trust.

This was a little labor intensive but worked to get the relationship off the ground.  

Quote from @Fakaradin Floyd: Hey everyone, I'm a 24 year old Software engineer that's always wanted to get into real estate, I graduated college about a year and a half ago and wanted to hit the ground running when graduated.

Let those be the backbones of your downside, weigh it out then hit the ground running.  

The ex-owner had no legal grounds as an unlawful detainer so the eviction went through and they were out.

Our aim to is make the investing journey more enjoyable by sharing direct feedback about what’s happening on the ground, actionable investing intel, real estate references, among other things that make investing not seem soo alien, tedious, worrisome, or out of reach.

Still, if you’ve got someone on the ground who truly knows how to navigate these waters, it’s like being handed a map with all the back roads highlighted.