Again, talk to the locals—cops, hotel personnel, and restaurant employees—to obtain the inside scoop about the neighborhood.Real estate investing necessitates rigorous attention to detail, which is why property tours are essential for acquiring critical information.

It will be fun, we'll have drinks and meet at a local vacation rental-this is a great way to learn more if you are interested in this type of investment.  

So, try some local real estate meetup groups.

The stream bed in question is small/ephermeral, and the properties haven't flood in 12 years, even when the local area has seen some massive flooding in the last decade.  

California, to my pleasant surprise passed a new law that went into effect January 1 that allows property owners to file a Letter of Agency with local law enforcement which notifies them that the property is vacant.

And she can always lock it to a street sign or find a local bike storage no?

This sounds like a deal for a local commercial bank.

I would recommend staying in Findlay, Ohio for a while as your cost of entry is going to be much lower and you are local to the area.

Do you have a local rental association that you could join?

You can try this site to find a local mortgage broker:https://mortgagematchup.com/