Any tips on finding reliable professionals in my area?

I would consider staying with your parents and investing in another market that stretches your dollar and covers the cost of a professional property manager.

Lots of local investors and professionals here in the DC area. 

Stable demand, in retiree market - yes, but also in several other segments: professional working remotely, new Americans. 

We’ve been victims ourselves and I’ve been told that directly by law enforcement.We had a scammer create a very professional website using the exact name of our lending company.

I am a professional photographer and have been doing that for the past 18 years, so I'll also be building my business in NC from the ground up!

Facebook is the last place you want to find private money. whats unfortunate is real estate professionals are still advertising to us newbies Facebook is the place to find the lender.What’s even more unfortunate, @April Smalls, is that newbies are falling for it.A few years ago, someone created a fake website that impersonated our company.

Michael,   A good book to purchase is "Professional Real Estate Development: The ULI guide to Business.   

You lose all of the control and these are long term investments - but in my experience the returns match what I had on the active real estate and I am hiring professionals to manage the assets.  

As remote work is more and more common, many professionals look for a home there.