I actually wish I would have built my portfolio a few miles from where I live instead of in the same area. 

Once you have built your reputation as a "Neighborhood Specialist" then you can concentrate on becoming a "Listings Only" Agent.  

I bought a property last October in a small town in Northern MI.

Hey Shane,You could also find local meetup groups focused on real estate investing as well as some of the REI clubs around town. 

Yeah the nearest comparable town is roughly 1 1/2 hours away.

I have some experience, having knocked down a drive through location and replaced it with a national food service company in a nice town and then also purchasing a historic bank building and leasing it out as office space. 

I have a rental in the neighboring town, and my tenant pays water.

Both the Urban Institute and Market Watch reported on recent data put out by the Federal Housing Finance Agency that demonstrates the appreciation of manufactured housing in direct relation to traditional site-built housing.

My market is a town of 50,000 people, I know what properties in that town will rent for.

I live in Trenton Ontario (not the town, the province haha - side question - are there many Canadians here??)