I have been volunteering with local Habitat for Humanity groups to learn how to renovate houses, and currently looking for my first house hack or flip in the southeastern MA area (have been looking at areas such as Barnstable, Plymouth, and Bristol counties). 

Connect with potential local and international investors, businesses, and partners.

I would suggest going local for the first one - I think it's much easier to manage.  

Depending on the scale, a local CPA may not be able to perform a full audit.  

Search on meetup.com for local real estate meetup clubs in that area.You should be able to find quite a few.

I would recommend house hacking locally.

Additionally, attending local real estate investor associations can be fruitful, as wholesalers often attend these events to connect with potential buyers.Another method is to keep an eye out for bandit signs in your local area that advertise messages like "we buy houses" or "cash for homes."

I would suggest at least have a chat with some local realtors/investors to familiar yourself with the neighborhood and growth potential. 

I was getting interest rates that were slightly over 7% for a fixed, and I recently learned about the 5/6 ARM through my local credit bureau who I had financed my car through many years back.

But the old concept of buying local (and fix,rehab,rent) is always working good for me.