Glad to hear from someone with firsthand experience.

I am looking for an agent who has experience with working with investors and who knows the area well (rents, desirable areas vs. undesirable areas, etc).

I don't claim to have a crystal ball to give a time frame, but I think in the next 7 years we should experience a better market (at least to some degree), giving you a chance to refinance into lower rates if you wish.No point in locking in a 30-year fixed when the rates aren't incredible to begin with.

It is much more important to get to know what a PM's experience is, how many years they have been managing properties, are they also an investor, what types of owners they work with, how many total units they manage, what their largest property is, what class of properties do they manage, how do they handle tenant communication, maintenance requests, expenses, do manage commercial or residential, and what type of software they use.Just some advise from a seasoned investor and property manager, The First Question That You Shouldn't Ask is, How much do you charge?

. :) All the more reason to require them to have the experience of at least 1 transaction under their belt.

I am unclear why you would need the majority of the stuff you listed out - but that's just my opinion on it from personal experience. 

Also, for you, you are gaining experience while getting paid for it. 

Pay $250 for a 30 min site visit and 90 minutes on a call not with any of the realtors that are commenting but someone who holds a general contractor license or HIC license in the city of columbus who has more than 5 million of construction experience and 40+ projects.

Now I feel ready to buy a second home and looking for some guidance as I don’t have very much experience in finding the right finance methods and property search methods.

@Reuben Stewart Thanks for sharing your experience Reuben, and congrats on your success.