Educate yourself on the local market, network with other investors and agents, and always have a solid plan in place before making any investments.

I bought SFH through turnkey companies out of state, had a few SFH's locally managed by someone else and bought some small mulifamily properties and had a PM there as well. 

He has been working on properties his whole life so he’s a great resource and partner on getting the work done but as this is my first purchase and reno, I am looking for a few suggestions on finishes so I can finish working out my numbers.The house was bought from a local investor who seems to have run out of money and was offloading about 3-5 properties in my area.

If you want to stay local, you might need to start with house hacking a home.

Has anyone invested, and what is your opinion? I was thinking about it to fund larger investments STR's etc...  

Small town - limited contractors - so a local like him has a major leg up.

There are some very good localized mentors that hang around BP and contribute with excellent advice and information on forums, podcasts, and articles.  

You can join local real estate investment clubs or online forums to expand your network.Education: Continuously educate yourself on real estate investing strategies, market trends, and property management best practices.

Listed Rent would be between 3500-4200 per month depending on a local property management company strategy.We have assessed our budget and goals while in Europe and would not want to maintain a mortgage in USA (vacant) AND a rental payment in EU.further details: we are 3 years into the loan at 2.625% int, primary and only residence owned, house will need 2 new AC in next 2 years, water heater, and driveway repairs, would only rent with a property management company as we will NOT want to manage from abroad. 

I spoke with a local builder today, same message: their specs are sold out.