Does anyone have any recommendations for brokerage firms that focus on commercial and who are investor friendly?

@Matt Roth Make friends with commercial brokers that only buy/sell. 

My sister lives there and our good friend sold his storage facility a year ish ago in Morgantown b/c he got a great offer and wanted to retire... 

A good friend of mine who is now one of my partners had contacts in Chattanooga How did you finance this deal?

Amidst a significant downturn in commercial property values, private investors (particularly high-net-worth individuals and family offices) are seizing the opportunity emerging as the dominant force accounting for 60% of deals over the past two years.

Just yesterday I was speaking with a friend who has over 100 properties in VC.Personally I invest outside of CA via Syndications however I work with folks locally to help them drum up local investment opportunities as well. 

or at least had a trustworthy individual / property manager meet them right? 

My good friend built an RV park in Waco and my husband and I manage it.

@Todd Goedeke it's an investment property first and a friends and family vacation spot secondly.

If this is not the case, would you still recommend (as I suggested above) I start out in SFHs by renting out individual rooms on a 6-12 month long term basis?