I've found guides by James Wise for some of the cities on my list, but these are just names on a list to me and I don't feel like I really understand enough of the neighborhoods to confidently make an investment.

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I have great experience as a project manager and I am thinking to look for someone to guide me through it and share the profit, like a JV.

Of course countless appraisals were identified as flawed and the originating bank was forced to buy the loan back for violation of the Fannie Mae Selling Guide, which serves as a contract between originating lenders and FNMA - these were all contract-law cases.The really interesting part about that whole thing is not one appraisal was identified as flawed because of a bad valuation alone, or for all sorts of things a person might assume would qualify as a flaw.

I hope so, because if someone comes in and offers that seller another $10,000 and you're not under contract, *poof* - she'll sell it out from under you.So yes, as a first time buyer I think you need someone to guide you. 

Post Script: Investing outside the expensive Miami market*I've read the BiggerPockets Guide to Long-Distance Real Estate Investing by David Greene, so I have some familiarity with the concept of investing outside my region.

I've analyzed around 250+ small multifamily deals in Worcester MA and have spreadsheets for 50+ of them.I'm definitely a BEGINNER, but I work hard and I would LOVE to hear from anyone who has feedback, advice, thinks there might be some potential here, or could guide me on finding the right resources and asking the right questions for me to find the property so that I can get out of the rental trap and start investing in earnest!!!

If I were you I would get my atty. to guide/advise me.

It is not meeting Fannie/Freddie guide lines and having issues finding a lender.

You truly should be hiring a professional to work with you and guide you instead of relying on a web forum.