@John Hamm I can’t speak to Cleveland but the Atlanta market right now is extremely competitive and prices have gotten insane, it’s doable but it might be worth looking at other medium sized cities around Georgia.

Not really; speaking in broad swaths, they tend to be high maintenance and made out of Tiffany glass.

There are also many online sites that provide crime statistics, if that's your primary concern.It's hard for me to mentally map the zoo/botanical garden in Roger Williams Park to neighborhoods outside the Park, but generally speaking the parts of Cranston that border Providence, around the Park (e.g., Elmwood and part of Broad St especially around/past the cemetery), are a bit tougher than ones that don't (e.g., near Park View middle school or parts closer to Edgewood than Providence).As far as self managing vs. using a property management company, I don't really know your situation - e.g., how far away you are, how much time you have to devote to the property, managing service calls, going there if necessary, ability to do your own work, etc.So that's something you'll really need to decide for yourself - though I would say as a new person, you should expect that you'll be there a bit more than you "imagine" you will be (at least that was my experience when I was new 15+ yrs ago).If you do decide to hire it out, I can recommend a couple of local companies.

Technically speaking, you don't need to move into the property for 60 days.

@Allison Macalik To answer your question directly, look for books, podcasts, and speak with people who are actively raising money through syndications. 

I actively looked for an agent that could speak the investor language, I found one at the local REIA.

It would be great to speak with anyone who has real experience doing larger commercial multifamily deals!

There is an entire commercial forum that speaks to this a little better.  

I haven't had a chance to speak directly with the PM company, so I am not sure why the vacancy rate is currently high.  

Can anyone here speak from personal experience on the benefits or lack there of?