It is a seller’s market, so you are going to need either a pre-approval or proof of funds to even present an offer (even a lot of off market non MLS sellers will ask for that)2) determine what neighborhoods you are comfortable with.  

Are you comfortable locking up roughly $70K+ to cash flow very little?

If anyone has any contacts please let me know.I was trying to think of a polite way to word it, but as often happens, @Lucas Carl beat me to the punch.Your best bet is to do what the rest of us fellow Northerners do - get comfortable with out of state investing (yes there’s a learning curve but it aint rocket science!)

I am really not comfortable speaking out in person but i am going to give meet ups a shot because i know its good to create a network.

Are you knowledgeable enough to feel comfortable negotiating your own deal, managing your own rehab, managing the property?

Maybe down the road, you will have enough comfort under your feet to negotiate against the other side yourself, but the point of hiring a qualified agent is to leverage their experience to benefit your purchase. 

Thanks Rich, I was planning on hitting up a local REIA group will check them out- thanks for the lead.I've skimped on the full details of my experience base, I also worked a summer in school with a commercial general contractor, that was early in adulthood and I knew nothing but learned so much.I'm very comfortable with my knowledge of design and construction, most importantly knowing that there is so much left to learn.I'm looking forward to working on projects where I am actually the client, designer builder and project manager, and then being a fair landlord is actually such a powerful motivator.I personally believe there is a service element to real estate investment if done a certain way, providing needed housing that is built to a standard really helps people.

Do your own homework, check reviews, get other referrals, and make sure you’re comfortable with the property manager’s reputation.

That combined with the notion that the mortgage is likely to be assumable is what makes me ponder the idea of stepping into that seat to try negotiating an assumption and reduction at the same time.

You have to be comfortable with the situation.