To this end, I am searching for an experienced Investor that I can work with and "hold my hand" sort to speak.

I'm counting on some sort of financing for my first deal in the area.

Remember this could end up costing more than the comps to get this place repaired if things go way south of predictions.I presume that you don't have a lot experience with this sort of project.

Sort out your must haves, your nice to haves, and extras.

Also on your computer you can pull up Google Earth and type the street name,  city name,  state and then scroll up and down the street until you see the image of the house you are interested in.  

This sort of thing gives landlords a bad name.  

You can search for an image using Google.

Plus we do our own work so for now the costs are greatly reduced.What I do, assuming less repair costs for now, is maintain a smaller repair fund, and sort of borrow that money for expansion.

Just wanted to get sort of a gut sense from other more seasoned investors what they would do.

That is probably best way for you to approach this all right now until you understand more about the asset class and are prepared to really structure this sort of enterprise properly.