I went through a local realtor who has done a lot of work for me so commissions we 2k of the closing cost but she made up for that with the final selling price and it let me share some of our success with the people helping us on the ground locally.  

Definitely be sure to get all of the numbers down / information that you can on the property during your due diligence phase.

Regarding moving money out of Los Angeles; my first choice would be to stay right here for my next purchase however the more I work with the numbers, the more it makes sense to at least widen my search and become more knowledgeable about cities in which I have family (eyes on the ground).

I am also a pilot so It's not difficult for me to get my boots on the ground in more distant areas.I'm here so that I can learn and hopefully help others from making the same mistakes as I have.  

thank you, Ann Marie  Hi Ann Marie,It is possible but the main emphasis needs to be on establishing the right and trustworthy people on ground that will happily assist.I flipped a few properties while still living in Australia but it took me many sleepless night due to the time zone difference and networking for over 18 months until I found the right people for the job.Michigan and Ohio are 2 great markets.Thanks for reading and have a great day.

If you know the area well, drive there regularly anyway, and have on the ground help, that's all huge.  

If I see a pipe sticking straight up out of the ground with a cap on it, that means that there is an old oil drum buried below.

Hi Jerry,Our group works with a few great people in Dayton.Feel free to connect via the website in my signature and I will happily put you in contact with one of our key people on the ground in Dayton.Thanks and have a great day.

. -- I'm leaning more towards getting into single and multi-family home rentalsWhile I'm fixing my financial situation (I have terrible credit and my student loan debt depressing), I figured I could learn all I can and be ready to hit the ground running, once my personal finances allow me to get to the point of comfortably getting out there.Since I don't have much money (or I should say I have zero money) to work with, I was thinking about using my web design and photography skills to build relationships with others that are currently in my area doing what I want to do.

Another Idea I had is use my own renters as acquisition agents on the ground to go find me deals.