Be sure to check out the Ultimate Beginners Guide under the "Education" tab and check out the Podcasts.  

One advantage you give up by not staying local with your investment is your wife might be able to source good deals through her connections as an agent. 

You then do the work and they guide.

At the moment these are the only strategies I know of that  can potentially allow me to generate quick funds so that I can get into other kinds of deals.I'm hoping other experienced investors can share experiences and insights to these concepts and guide me in the right direction.

Usually if its abandoned it stays that way sadly because no one in these neighborhoods have the motivation to want to see a new home built, the city doesnt fix up the houses often unless they are building more projects.

You can learn more about getting started with wholesaling here https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/01/31/ultimate-beginners-guide-real-estate-wholesaling-2/

Then if you do jump in, stay with it.

Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meetSet up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsRead Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingCheck out BP Podcasts: http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/category/podcast/If you wish to tag someone in the conversation on the forum, type @ followed by their name and then select the name of that person which should appear below the comments box.

Everyone wants good schools so hopefully the current tenants stay tenants or they are easily replaced even in hard times.  

I personally would stay away from mobile homes.