I see your 100k being gone there just to get mechanicals & sheetrocked. 

The city helped us by condemning it immediately and putting them out for failure to have running water.

My goal is to at a minimum make my first deal this year but striving for more.On a personal note, I am married with three beautiful kids and currently work full time as a helicopter mechanic.

Assuming there is no catastrophic market failure such as 2008.

Obviously the newer the condo systems/mechanics/large CapEX items are, the less larger CapEX expenses you are going to have.  

I have read David Greene’s book on long-distance real estate investing, but my guts tell me that it won’t be that straight-forward as outlined in the book.I think the sweet spot are properties that haven't been fully rehabbed, but that have had structural, safety, mechanical and are updated cosmetically enough to keep the tenant happy.

It would be a lis pendens.yes there is a mechanism for that and its call a specific performance suit..

Do I need a mechanic, or is YouTube enough?

Not to mention they are the one who did the background check on the tenant, so really it is a "failure" on their part.

Then afterwards, if you choose, take it to the CPA and pay their fee.I know how to fix a car, but I choose to let the mechanic do it.