Any answer other than close on the property themselves is what gives wholesalers a bad name.  

I hear good things about lots of up-and-coming cities (Indianapolis IN, Mesa AZ, Madison WI to name a few), but I know nothing about those markets, the culture of those towns, the good and bad areas, or even how to find a good property manager over there. 

I see some pretty bad reviews and a little concerned whether to purchase/finance with them or seek my own financing 

Methinks you're pricing in the worst case scenario (which is not a bad thing in itself). 

I imagine a lot of the foreclosed investors could have stayed afloat...kept their properties...using retirement savings but chose not to throw good money after bad.

These questionable assignments have been used by bad actors like Ocwen to wrongfully foreclose on naive homeowners. 

In order to get the ARV, what if the only comps you find all needed work to be done and all of them were in a bad condition so they sold at a low price, then how do you figure out the ARV of your property?

Also, maybe a trip to Lexington once a month for that meetup wouldn't be a bad idea.

Our Crystal Ball energized by Economics and armed with the IRR calculations told us to buy here in NYC despite all of the bad advice given to us that it's too expensive.We've heard that same comment for the last 21 years and we will hear it again for the next 21 years.I don't pay attention to Gurus, Posters or anyone else.I only pay attention to the Economics and the IRR.You can only imagine how much we made owning NYC properties over a 21 year holding period, accumulating 8 multi-family buildings.It has been phenomenal!

Parts of Neptune are really not bad, actually.