@Jake Posnerstrongly recommend looking closer to home - OOS investing is more difficult than it's made out to be. andwith rates where they are, there's just about no cash flow right now unless you employ a creative strategy or a combination of creative strategies.if you just buy any old property in any old market, you're not going to cash flow.

Are there any guidelines on how much I should put down 

I would not recommend that an agent broker the deal.

Does anyone here have a list of recommended, well-vetted real estate funds?

Depends perhaps on where you are, but most of the good real estate attorneys I know in Texas recommend against using Contract for Deed. 

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Ask the lender and the local title company for recommendations on agents working with investors. 

I recommend Matt Beam and Andrew Goodermote with Scolieri-Beam Law Group, they are great with lease disputes and tenant disputes. 

It's great to have you here.Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: http://www.biggerpockets.com/m...Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/a...Read Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/r...Check out BP Money Podcast: https://www.biggerpockets.com/..Wishing you the best

Just reaching out to my fellow NJ landlords to see who people are using for this inspection, prices, recommendations, etc. prior to scheduling my properties.