Fingers crossed!

As its been discussed on BP, if you know how to handle a real estate transaction AND have the time, then you probably don't need an agent. 

By that, I mean, a realtor group that deals with the transaction side, will help oversee projects/contractors during flips, help be boots on the ground, and also help manage the property? 

You may run into an oral lease situation with a difficult tenant but that's not always the case so I'd say worry about that bridge if / when you cross it.

There is weeks and weeks of making sure absolutely every t is crossed and every i is dotted.

There are also many online sites that provide crime statistics, if that's your primary concern.It's hard for me to mentally map the zoo/botanical garden in Roger Williams Park to neighborhoods outside the Park, but generally speaking the parts of Cranston that border Providence, around the Park (e.g., Elmwood and part of Broad St especially around/past the cemetery), are a bit tougher than ones that don't (e.g., near Park View middle school or parts closer to Edgewood than Providence).As far as self managing vs. using a property management company, I don't really know your situation - e.g., how far away you are, how much time you have to devote to the property, managing service calls, going there if necessary, ability to do your own work, etc.So that's something you'll really need to decide for yourself - though I would say as a new person, you should expect that you'll be there a bit more than you "imagine" you will be (at least that was my experience when I was new 15+ yrs ago).If you do decide to hire it out, I can recommend a couple of local companies.

This was our first time going through an transaction withing an agent so we enjoyed getting to experience all the nuances ourselves.

Fingers crossed, I'm going all in.

I hope it is a smooth transaction! 

It seems to me like this could be a really risky transaction, that could leave you with a piece of raw land that has severely diminished value.