The most important step is to keep going and take action.

but i hear ya. you do get what you pay for though and its not a race.. real estate is a long game and to me far more important to buy quality assets then taking 2 steps forward and 1 backward.. you may want to try both and see how they play out.. remote rehab simply is the most risky thing you can do in RE full stop.

As a new investor, your story is a powerful reminder of how important it is for me to be meticulous in protecting my investments.

ARV is a very important factor here. 600 FICO is minimum. 

The state legislature is only session a few weeks per year, and luckily they usually have more important things to do!

While finding a local CPA is important, consider the option of working with remote professionals who specialize in real estate and small business taxes.

Prompt, great communication, efficient ... and most importantly they are 100% legit 😉

It’s also important to be as specific as possible in the scope of work for each line item—clear details can save you from misunderstandings or unexpected costs later on.I specialize in consulting services for situations just like this, helping clients work confidently with contractors by bridging the knowledge gap.

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

Even creating a simple model to evaluate potential deals or predict returns could be a fun way to combine your interests while gaining hands-on experience.The most important thing is to start somewhere.