You need to go to that county's treasurer and county clerk website (or in person) and carefully read through all the information about how they handle tax defaulted properties.

I have a feeling they are going to try to push me into a dual agency spot and probably make me use their title company as well.

Very informative and interesting post,I too was questioning this last week.EVERY rehabbed house around here is grey!

Based on what you're sharing, it is difficult to answer with limited information. 

Ideally, I would like to buy in the Catskills since it’s close by, a popular year round destination from the city and has a history of vacation rentals but I know there’s more and more talks of regulations so I am open to other areas and would love to hear your thoughts/experience on the area.Would love to connect with anyone who has interest in the area and the short term world as well as agents familiar with STR who could help us in our search.

Happy to make an intro to our answering service team that does our late-night support at CS Outsource.They help with 24/7 emergency support, overnight coverage, troubleshooting issues, dispatching approved vendors & local staff, tracking and managing maintenance work orders, and other back-office tasks.

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

No information required there.

Especially since you came from a HCOL state as well. 

My idea is to form an LLC with my partner to qualify for a 100k business LOC with our credit scores (both 700+), our DTI ration, as well as my equity.