Typically I would just run it through my name but there are areas of ohio that target out of state owners if its a single family and will send you fines and violations  for every little thing. you also should talk to your attorney and accountant on how it impacts taxes

I have identified properties in a particular area I want to target and want to reach out to the property owner to see if they would sell.

I am targeting duplexes on the same street.  

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. ...I've bought properties with bad sewer lines, but I KNEW what I was buying because of the scope, and I factored that in to my numbers and offer...without the scope, I would have no idea what I was buying, and I would've wound up with a significant unanticipated capex.We inspect every other part of a property before buying.

Here’s our OPINION for the Metro Detroit market (use as a template for your target area!)

also what is your targeted per unit return?

They should not have been this off and you should always use the worst-case scenario as your target number when you are doing a flip or BRRRR.If I were you and a sale wouldn't net enough, I would do mid-term rental there instead of long-term rental so you can earn more, but still not have a ton of tenancies.

The towns you're targeting—Rochester, Dover, Farmington, and Milton—offer great potential, especially for flipping and buy-and-hold multifamily investments.

They don’t effectively target motivated sellers.In fact, the market is saturated with these outdated and inefficient approaches.

You can also just check active listings on Craigslist or Zillow and see how much properties/units are renting for in your target area.