The best advice we got was to use someone from our state of residence to write things up and do the planning. 

I know this is painful, but it has happened to the best of us....paying too much to a wholesaler, going over budget on rehab, taking to long on the rehab, and during that time market changes.If your game plan was NOT to turn this into a rental, then don't. 

Are you planning to stay focused on flips long term or eventually add rentals into the mix?

Whether you’re using Mojo, REIsimpli, or a phone and spreadsheet, it all comes down to talking to motivated sellers every day and building a follow-up pipeline.If you’re doing it full time:Your daily non-negotiables are:2–3 hours of lead gen (calls/texts)1 hour of follow-up30 minutes of pipeline review/CRM cleanupThat’s how deals get done.

One thing I’d add to your plan: don’t overlook flips in markets like Nashville.

If not, consider creating a detailed savings plan to ensure you have the necessary capital when the time comes.

Hotels are famous for this listing a lower daily rate and adding “resort”, “facility”, “prime”, “extra person”, “access” fees, etc.

Over the past couple months I have been using AirDNA daily to analyze projected revenue of potential STR properties in Tennessee and Florida. 

Using the data info gathered from the buyers you met with, set up your marketing plan to meet their needs and that should get you started faster and make your business exponentially better than other wholesalers.  

Your initial financial commitment could be higher (vs. house hacking in New York) since you'll need 20-40% of the purchase price for inspections, down payment, closing costs, repairs, reserves, travel (assuming you'll visit the property), etc.Great advice from @Jeff Roth and @Elealeh Fulmaran regarding licensure and setting goals for daily contacts and deal analyses.