I'm a newbie tooSelf education through books is a conversation between the author (mentor) and you.You'll gain knowledge, connections etc but it takes timeAttending meetups, listening to Youtube videos on subject matter further broadens knowledge base

While I didn't like feeling I was in Time Square on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, the New York side felt completely dead. 

The type of due diligence all investors would like to do if they had the knowledge, the time and other resources.

While I don’t regret anything in my life if I was to go back in time I would finish the real estate degree and go into something real estate when I graduated at 22 instead of doing it half-as**ed for years.

I'm looking for an agent that is intimately aware of these markets.

I recommend you go visit a few times to network with local investors or find an investor friendly agent so you can gain local market knowledge, find off market deals and for things such as showings, picture taking or getting accurate comps.

Here are a few avenues folks often explore in times like this:You are already on this path - Owner Financing: It's great that the seller is willing to finance a portion of the deal.

Everyone I spoke with was knowledgeable and pleasant.

Suggest you check in with him/her on this additional service as your attorney is already intimately familiar with the file and you can often give them pre-authorized amounts to settle on vs trying to squeeze all the blood from that turnip. 

I if go back in time when I was a newbie and investor in Mexico and I'd need to get information about how two invest in Mexico, I'd want to hear from other investors who have done it before rather than from people who sell properties and that's exactly what the forums are for.