I actually had my insurance agent get me a quote before I even called my real estate agent to setup looking at it.All this said, do your market research and you will find a great cashflowing properties if managed properly.

I’m a newbie to real estate.

I just finished listening to Norada Real Estate Investments' @Marco Santarelli discuss out-of-state investing at the Think Realty conference in Baltimore.  

Look at real estate professional status closely, this area of the tax code(section 469) is where I think If you worked with the right real estate-focused accountant you could save 100s of thousands of dollars. 

That would be his issue with his lender.You would have the option of forcing him to complete the deal, he then has to work out the problems between himself and his lender, that is none of your problem or business.Have your attorney or the real estate agent's broker send a strongly worded letter as a warning about the consequences ( a lawsuit he is unlikely to win).

I'm originally from Florida and moved to Columbus for the real estate.

I am new to the real estate investment field as far as acquisitions go.

You can also lean on some other real estate investors in your area on who they use. 

We have a 14-page management contract that we've added our real experiences to over the years, with the intent of protecting both us AND the landlord.

Hey Armando, congrats on taking the leap into real estate!