I hear that buying off the MLS is better because you have better chances of buying right / below market price.   

I picked the area not only because of proximity to Disney, etc, but also because my father lives less than a mile away and it will give me a chance to visit him more often since he's in his mid 70s.  

Your problem is that in the bank there is 0 chance of them losing any money and with you they could actually lose more than what they put in.If I put 10k in a bank I am certain that 2 years from now I can drive up and pull my 10k back out.If I give 10k to you you could spend my investment either doing a crappy remodel or not even finish the remodel and then walk away. 

Your clients will have a separate auto policy and if you only write the home there's a real good chance you will lose the account within the next 5 years as they will want to bundle the two together to receive discounts.   

maybe but why take that chance?....

Anything would help even if there's a chance I've probably heard it before.

Your chances of success increase based on the number of touches - slowly at first, but then it really goes up when you hit the 5-7 range.When it comes time to make an offer, make sure you understand the numbers. 

Ultimately, you have one chance to make a profit. 

I want to jump in and get started but am worried that I may mess up our chances for financing a new home if I buy y first investment property.

These folks will be responsible for protecting your asset physically and financially so taking your time to deep-dive into some research before making any moves will increase your chances of success when you're out-of-state - it is not impossible!