For a lot of fixer upper homes, my offer, using an renovation loan, often loses out to lower offer cash buyers. 

Quote from @Dan Mahoney: @Tommy Davis As always, I am not a lawyer and I can't offer you legal advice. 

The guy with 3 posts may be offering legitimate advice having been in your shoes- The guy with 30 years experience may be hopelessly out of date, or even inexperienced with current issues.- The 23 year old who just bought the first house-hack may teach us something game-changing.The “real deal” looks very different in many contexts: THAT is the power of BiggerPockets.

I signed up for the basic membership In hopes that I could leverage much of the support and knowledge offered to expedite my investing.

Can anyone offer advice on whether it’s worth making the move to a large city in the Midwest or a smaller town in the state you live in?

Found a property I like to make an offer on.

I'd use USPS Bulk Mail Services - they offer lower rates than first-class mail for sending large volumes.

I would provide checkout instruction and checklist, offer a pre-move out inspection, and expect them out on the day that they indicated.  

Just to share a few details: Located in NY (not NYC), $3M raise, 506-C offering for accredited investors. 

Here is a summary of the book.https://www.nateliason.com/notes/long-distance-real-estate-investing-david-greeneIn terms of location, I like starting in the Midwest because it's affordable and offers good cash flow.