I have extensive real estate, financial, and life experience, but I found a heavy hitter in my market that is letting me work some leads for him.

Many will lead you along, only to tell you last minute that they cannot help you because you are out of state.

No one is going to give you leads.

Is a garage conversion of a SFH or Duplex a viable option to generate more cash flow? 

Equity in a property is actually buying cash flow which is not the same thing as a property that is generating positive cash flow.Investors trick themselves into believing they have positive cash flow by throwing cash at a investment.

If you are flipping you can start in a couple different waysOption 1: base ARV off comps, not all multifamilies are created equal and depending on the area and particularly the condition this could lead you astrayOption 2: base ARV off cap rates which will need to be determined after rehab, and then price accordingly.

Plenty of wealth generation in flipping homes and much faster than buy and hold. 

The income the properties generate is insignificant.

Title company probably called and got the current water balance but the bill had not been generated as of closing.I agree you should review the numbers to confirm but I don't see what the problem is.

Get a co-signer. ( probably not possible with my family )Any advice or leads on good brokers and agents, especially via Skype or phone, would be greatly appreciated.