I shall keep an eye out for what develops with your plan.

Im new to the real estate game out here myself and went on meetup.com to attend events related to real estate investing.

@Nick Ragucci I would suggest developing a relationship with an attorney.

This is a numbers game. 

Maybe you can chalk it up to us not being 20 years in the game, but if we feel like you aren't "hearing us" we stop talking.Hope you find this helpful.

Until an 'investor' reaches critical mass (escape velocity) in number of units turning enough profit that even the occasional catastrophe won't  change their life style, it's got to be keep your head in the game and all hands on deck.It's all fun until it's not.  

I want to just get in the game as i have read so many books and am ready for action.

I invested $ 165K from IRA to buy a lot and develop it into a building.  

Other than that, in general terms, you need to learn 3 things:1 - How to analyze Markets...not properties2 - How money works3 - How to develop, and stick to, a REI Business planAll three are critical to your success, and all three are equally important, and in fact, depend on eachother.

You could also make an argument that out of state investing forces you to develop the system and network from Day 1 that will move you closer to passive investing than if you invested down the street.