Local and National.

Local investor and realtor here.

I would definitely contact a local civil engineer or environmental engineering firm. 

You can reach out to your local property tax people and they can explain it in more detail.  

I want to throw this out to the community to see if anyone would have some local expertise to know if market conditions should warrant a request for seller credit or break the contract. 

First, go to your local REI meetups.

So I thought of finding investors that would help me buy local rental properties through a 501C3 so they get a deduction and then I can manage it as a charitable contribution or hire another PM and they get a charitable deduction.

Consider your long-term plans and local zoning regulations carefully to make an informed decision.Good luck!

At the very least you need a local person to handle the lease up experience with the tenant.

Your experience, while definitely helpful, isn't a direct correlation to the real estate space--a space in which your greatest contributions will not only be your business skill, but your relationships in the industry (brokers, lenders, managers, vendors, the list goes on).