Obviously, that requires you to have the financial resources to actually close on the property.

I really need someone to help guide me through some basic stuff in the landscape of StL and MO.

She’s got resources, but they’re limited.  

@Alex HamdenI would turn it into a Brady museum and charge people ten bucks to walk through it . put a giant sign out front and offer a guided tour through each room along with a room of posters autographs and brady memorabilia

Based on my research, the greater Phoenix area is not much better than Calif when it comes to the cap rate.I would like to stay within a 2 hour flight distance if I would ever need to make a visit to take care of business being that I still have a day job and time will be a limited resource.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/guide-gra...

I recently came across the Cole Realty Resource prospecting program (www.coleinformation.com) through a BP blog post.

For example, through my research I have found a resource where I can buy new mobile homes directly from the factory using a bank that will finance the deal for no money out of my pocket for a year.

I used https://unifiedtitle.com/resources/o-and-e/ to run the title on the home / land to make sure there are no other liens attached.

I definitely think working with a broker that has investment properties of her own is important, but it's not necessary.Have you looked on Zillow or other resources and found properties that fit your criteria to test to see if your realtor isn't finding listed properties for you, or is nothing available that fits your goals?