As far as I can tell this tenant has a handshake agreement at this point with the landlord prior to me. 

Have never done this before.

Though, this process will be the same for the other state (if you created a CA LLC you may need to register it as a foreign LLC in the state in which you are doing business/holding property).

Newer isn't always better, and this picture sums it up pretty well. 

This doesn't mean you stop investing in those areas, it just means you need to factor that into underwriting and be prepared for it.

We recently discovered mold showing up in the basement walls.

A good property manager can handle tenant issues and reduce your hands-on involvement.Building a Network: While you don’t currently have local connections, networking with other investors, attending real estate meetups, or joining online communities can provide valuable insights and opportunities.The next steps depend on your financing options, preferred markets, and whether you’re willing to manage tenants directly or prefer to stay hands-off.

This would be short term and would not be afull time gig.

If not, this won't be too bad.

They are 1 of my valuable business partners