I am very mixed with what my next steps should be, the property is a 3 hour flight from me so it is not crazy far, but I wouldn't be able to manage it on my own and would of course need a property manager.I'd love to hear from everyone to see what more experienced real estate individuals think.

Engineering - you'll need an engineer to lay it all out and help with permitsMaterials and Construction costs will varyUp North - winters can cause delays - will this be a seasonal park?

(no, I am not a lawyer -  just an experienced HOA manager) @Phil Glantz is correct - if you buy in a covenant protected community then be prepared to follow the rules as written.

I didn't believe it until my brother, a mechanical engineer, showed me the energy modeling results.

Question for experienced investors who invest in rental properties out of state: what is your process?

If you are looking at buying a vacant parcel and subdividing and getting approvals etc.. you will need an engineer and an attorney to help you through the maze.

Do you need a civil engineer when building a single family home or townhomes?

Any experienced advice? 

If I do not desire the tenant or he does not want the increased rent I look for a new tenant for the rehabbed unit.  6) I move into the not rehabbed unit and start rehabbing it.  7) when I am done rehabbing it I refinance it pulling out hopefully all of my invested money (using contractors I usually get my down and part of my rehab cost but if you are doing much of the work yourself I think you may be able to get out all of your invested money 8) Use all that knowledge you have obtained to do it again with less mistakes trying for that homerun investment (I think most experienced So Cal RE investors have the Homerun deal: the type of deal you can potentially retire on).Here is also something you may not know: Commercial RE loans (5+ units) are more based on the numbers of the property than the numbers of the investor. 

More experienced investors often prioritize items such as the value of the value add, amount of market and rent appreciation projected, how passive is the purchase, etc.It is my opinion that SFRs purchased at retail today in San Diego will have negative cash flow when financed at tradition LTV (all cash of course will cash flow).