Hi Christian i am also from Albany and familiar with the area and surrounding areas , I am a realtor I also work with investors so I get it , I can help you out !

I cringe on the very thought on investing outside of a few hour drive for all the reasons you explained and more. 

That way you can still drive out on a Sunday to check on big rehabs and stuff.   

Found it by driving around town off season looking at multiple listings.

It is simple enough to find decent areas that you can drive to without needing to depend on people you don't even know.I disagree with both of these statements and highly disagree with the latter.

That said, here's my short input: Richmond has generally been a crappy city in the past (note: not the surrounding areas), however they've put a lot of effort into improving over the past 15 or so years and it's apparently a happening city.

The first pillar is avoiding unnecessary and risky activities (don't drink and drive, insurance generally won’t cover your poor decisions) and take good care of your investments - these simple steps will help you prevent lawsuits before they even occur.

I have developed a focus/interest around purchasing small multifamily units as buy and hold investments in the Charlotte MSA and general surrounding areas within North Carolina (given that is where I currently reside).I am at the point where I would like to soon begin actively pursuing my first deal.

My wife Katie and I are in Louisville, KY, an over two hour drive from Evansville, and we trust the Schlag's so much that we never even saw this property in person!

I'm located in Denver, NC and primarily working North Charlotte and surrounding small towns within commute distance.