Any lender should be able to easily do a HELOC for you (provided your credit is OK), but a local credit union will likely give you the best deal. 

Yes, Oklahoma is a great market to consider, especially for multifamily properties:Affordability: Oklahoma City (OKC) and Tulsa have duplexes and small apartment buildings within a reasonable price range.Landlord-Friendly Laws: Makes property management less stressful.Stable Cash Flow: Properties in Oklahoma often meet or exceed the 1% rule, providing consistent rental income.Growing Economy: Both cities are seeing population and job growth, boosting demand for rentals.Tips for Getting Started:Do Your Homework: Use tools like BiggerPockets calculators to analyze deals and ensure cash flow.Focus on Neighborhoods: In OKC, check areas like Yukon, Edmond, or Midwest City.

So, you are working through 2 decision makers, not one.A Realtor can really provide you value in a transaction....especially your first one! 

More likely is that they have been 'touched' by a many people providing the same service and narrow their selection to the few where they formed an favorable impression.

The right agent will have worked with Canadians before, will have lenders set up that can work with Canadians and will have a seamless process for management.Not only can an agent set you up with a GC, property manager, lawyer, insurance broker, inspector and everything else you need, they can analyze deals and put numbers in front of you.Your job as an investor is to vet the vendors they are providing and double check their analysis.  

Here is a link that provides fantastic information on the turnkey investing option from BP. 

But at the end of day you likely had a contractual obligation to provide shelter to the guests.

Be sure to check out the free tools BP provides to help analyze deals you may have and also market insights.

This means you need to pad your rehab costs, make sure you have trusted service providers that do great work, and when you run comps be sure to bring them down a bit and see if the deal still makes sense. 

I do intend to stay close to home - but home provides only annual opportunities and I’m looking for year round possibilities with tax deed properties.