Worked my regular job and paid off that house and student loans in a few years.

A "regular" realtor just won't get it.If you want to meet this realtor and simply window shop, that's fine.

You may have bought yourself a problem....tax sale laws are complicated, you could have some serious liens on the property.....there's a reason why the regulars didn't buy it at the sale.

As I'm from out of state, I think it might be difficult for me to attend those meetings regularly and really have an ear to the ground on changes in zoning.Do you know any turnkey providers in Philadelphia that I could reach out to for local expertise and property recommendations?

From I have read from the forums, it is recommended to form LLC for passive income from rental properties, and regular S-Corp incorporated for active income like flips or wholesaling.Again for rental properties, it is recommended to create "Series" LLC, meaning having all rentals under one master LLC, at the same time treating each rental as individual LLC.

I would suggest just setting up a regular lease option for 1 or 2 yrs.

@Eric JohnIf you use SDIRA your rental income will go back into your SDIRA and hence depending on the type of your IRA - Roth or Regular, the taxes will be either defferred or it will grow tax-free. 

I plan to set up a regular Toronto meet up for Canadians investing (or interested in investing) in the US. 

In your scenario, given those two estimated settlement statements you posted, 20% down and then doing a cash advance from your credit card for $8,000 at 18.3%, is identical to doing 15% down w/ PMI and the higher rate.So, the question really is: If you keep that $8k in your checking account, are you going to put it to work somewhere guaranteed to earn you greater than 18.3% ROI?

I haven't found deals that are any better than what I can get from the regular carriers; I am in Tennessee.