Since you're still living in the property, you might be able to house hack and keep the lower owner-occupied tax rate—worth confirming with a local tax advisor.

I will be doing my own research on local laws & regulations, but want to do this 100% by the books.

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

When I ask others at my local meet ups they just reply with "I've been doing it for a while" or "lots of practice."

Not sure which markets you're considering, but if you set your sights on the coast I can help with local lenders, attorneys, tax pros, etc. 

If you want to only do PM I'd recommend just looking on LinkedIn, or Indeed and applying for local apartment communities.  

If you want to network or ask specific questions about your local market, go to your local real estate forum and connect with investors from your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/86-local-real-estate-networking5.

You’ll likely need to look beyond the city limits (in areas that are still close enough to the city to benefit from its local economic tailwinds) if you want to find deals that pencil out.

Have you tried contacting a local community bank? 

Quote from @Victor Patel: I recently invested $60K with a local hard money lender who has been established in the area for decades.