Aussie New To The US Market

Hi Everyone, I am currently Australian based and have bought and sold a few properties here, I am very interested in exploring the US market but I need to sort out the similarities and differences in the process of purchasing a property. My strategy at this stage is to buy and rent, starting at the cheaper end of the scale until I have found some reliable US based industry contacts. Can anyone help me with details of websites etc where I can find legal/tax/how-to info? Also is it possible to purchase US property with Aus finance?? Are there any Aussies in the forum who have this experience? Any info would be appreciated, Thanks :-S