Do you know anyone in the states you mentioned who could do a preliminary property search, keep an eye on your properties or give you feedback on those areas? 

If you notice my posting history I am investigating purchasing my first condo in the next few months and am investigating some potential scenarios.I am looking into living in the unit for a little over 1 year and putting it up for rent either with HCV/Section 8 or finding a tenant through my brokerage(L&F) or other means. 

In investigating the out of state markets I determined that the more inexpensive options were just not properties I would want to own because they were in too bad a condition and renovation costs would make them comparable in price to what I can get locally.

That will usually motivate a bad PM to settle with you and make the complaint go away before the state starts to investigate.

Here are some and considerationsTo select the neighborhood that best suits your requirements and tastes, investigate the individual neighborhoods within each area.If you currently have children or want to have children in the future, research school districts.Because traffic and transportation infrastructure might differ, take into consideration your preferred method of transportation.It might be beneficial to visit each location, look about communities, and get a sense of the neighborhood before making a selection.

I will have investigate with my accountant if its worth setting up an LLC for post tax investments and utilize this route for tax advantaged accounts as well.

You need to investigate how that works in PA or MD or wherever you plan to buy. 

Investigate alternate investment options such as holiday rentals, short-term rentals, and crowdfunding sites for real estate.

After some investigating, it was the last of ventilation PLUS moisture retention under the house.Give that a shot.

I've done a ton of investigating including talking with an agent, real estate attorney, and going to the county to pull records.