@Chris Mason is a broker who contributes substantially to the local BP ecosystem, I would suggest you reach out to him and see if he can help you.As a small bit of advice, I would suggest you expand your thinking about the order at which you buy your properties and the effects they may have on your future self. 

I decided to switch back to Google Sheets simply because Airtable falls short when it comes to complex features.Google also just bought this platform called AppSheet, which just base off your Google Sheet and creates cross-platform apps so you can get all that fancy features from AirTable without having to leave the Google ecosystem.

Among real estate I own a wholesale distribution company, a contruction brokerage business, and act as a venture capitalist in my small town eco system.

The Midwest can't attract quality jobs fast because there is little or no infrastructure/ecosystems needed for high-growth, high-paying jobs. 

Just because you are now Financially free from REI doesn't mean you should stop being a Doctor, Dentist, etc.What it means is that you have the CHOICE of stopping or even scaling back your current profession.What it also means is that because you don't NEED the job, the stress from your job melts from your shoulders and you can now enjoy what you spent most of your life trying to do.You will even be healthier because of the lack of stress!

As an "outsider" it just was just hard for me to wrap my head around given that the base ecosystem largely functions like a "single employer" (if you will) for the micro-area.  

I've bought a couple deals from wholesalers, and it works out, but when I see the assignment fee that I'm paying, it just makes sense that I should go out and find my own deals--I'll have way more equity and my portfolio will be way healthier in terms of profitability and equity.There's a lot that goes into finding one's own deals--marketing for the leads, following up with the leads, getting them under contract. 

There is a whole ecosystem of service providers who facilitate this.

If your agent specializes in investment properties, then he/she should have an ecosystem of investment related professionals that could help you out.

A good agent can think like an investor and if he is an investor himself, he probably has an ecosystem of investor-friendly lawyers/lenders/etc.