Great tips in here :) 

I will definitely get going on getting the houses in tip top shape and get them ready for the market.I would like to keep my holdings in California in possible, but I am not seeing anything in Sacramento that makes it worthwhile of executing a 1031 exchange at the moment.I will definitely do my due diligence and interview property managers along with verifying their references.Since this will be my first multifamily investment, I probably will be conservative and used the cash flow generated to amass the capital needed for future investment. 

Does anyone know of a hard money lender that would float money to purchase an online auction property?

I looked up online and couldn't find anything concrete.Also because this is my first rental in Howard County, can I request if there's anything else I need to be aware of that others learnt the hard way?

I’m a builder in the Florida Panhandle and my wife is looking to get her real estate license via an online course.

Any tips or pitfalls to avoid?

For example if I want to go in person on a Friday to bid on properties at the actual auction house (in person... not online).Where could I find the specific properties open for bidding on that particular Friday?

Almost every larger city has an online gis map that provides the info. 

@Christopher FreyA lot of the counties publish the list online.

National tenants tend to do better as their sales and profit is spread out among many stores and locations so a dip in one location with eventual upside can be a positive.Another factor is checking to see road projects coming up and if the changes will impact the traffic flow from your area.