We are not familiar with the area directly outside of just what we can find online about it and would like to hear about the area from someone who knows it well and may be able to provide a local contact 

I highly recommend contacting an attorney because the HOA may be the responsible party.

I can send you his contact info if you are still looking!   

I accepted a Section 8 voucher and Section 8 pays on time directly to my account each month.

:) A good agent will meet up with you for a few hours, and along with educating you on the entire buying process (financing, contracts, inspections, what to expect in negotiations, etc) they will also be able to guide you by running comps and telling you if the home is priced well, as well as discovering any issues preventing the property from selling (liens, disputes)...Not sure about CA and AZ, But I have a buddy who renovated his dental office without pulling permits, and when the city found out, they made him literally gut it and redo it with permits.I would urge you having some conversations with agents in your area. interview a couple, and they should guide you in the right direction.

To answer your question directly though, to move the ownership of a property to an LLC we usually go through a title company to help with that.  

Investors can defer and potentially reduce capital gains taxes by directing their gains into qualified opportunity funds.

Tell them you're renting your places, and they'll steer you in the right direction. 

I just contacted an agent in the area and they helped me with the transaction. 

But also, chances that returns could be higher if things happen to move in your direction.