We live in San Francisco, CA and we both work in the trades and have a couple of connections with trades people in Shasta. 

hello, I'm looking to start my rental portfolio. can you recommend some up to coming neighborhoods in philly with good rental potential?

Yes, it could be challenging but not impossible; I came across this link where it looks like I would have to start a "holdover proceeding" with the court.https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/can-you-sue-your-landlord...

One key to mitigating that would be to go ahead and start your 1301 exchange. 

If you just hire the cheapest or first PMC you speak with and it turns into a bad experience, please don’t assume ALL PMC’s are bad and start trashing PMC’s in general.

Quote from @Derek Morrison: You can start by researching online.

It's no guarantee but it's a good place to start.

Take a look at some trade accounts and a line at the Big Blue and Big Orange if you are going to self manage.  

How to find these just like anything ask around and get out there start shopping around talking to agents, wholesalers, investors, and more people that are in the communities.  

I’m starting with house flipping (single & multi-families) out of state in the St Louis, MO area.