The nature of the relationship to me seemed exploitative and it bothered me a great deal. 

This is starting to become more concerning, especially as the amount I have invested with them continues to grow and I’m considering investing even more with them.

:)  its the nature of capitalism. 

House HackAttend as many REI meetups as you can to grow your network of investors for referrals, help through challenges you may incur but don't have experience with, and learn from proven guest speakersNetworking app like blinq to compile all of your contacts for REI in one area with phone and emailbegin conversations with local credit unions exploring what type of loan products they offer

Real estate often rewards patience, and holding in a market like this can allow you to build wealth steadily as property values grow.

Naturally, he made a cool $1k!

It's really unfortunate that people flash their wins on internet, and then other thousands of people naturally try to replicate that.

Property values have been appreciating rapidly in recent years, and the city’s population has started growing again—a trend we haven’t seen in decades.I’m also based in California and have been investing in Detroit for several years, so I understand the concerns of out-of-state investing.

Also, grow your contractor lists, maybe make posts about their work.  

However, I enjoy the more operational side of flips and would like to grow my business out of state to increase flipping volume and have less competition in finding deals.