. #2 I may have considered (apartment buildings on SoCal or real estate debt fund).  

Many are not lending, but others are very aggressive and are building their portfolio now. 

So any extra pointers or tips , books, would be great guys I would love to connect and build relationships!

I would build a relationship with the person before you decide to partner.

We build a stacked triplex in columbus ohio but you could do it anywhere that land makes sense.

Much of the negotiations during due dilligence depend on demand for that specific property- hopefully your agent has build leverage in to your contract that they can use to help you with this piece. 

BRRR/house hack/str/mtr/ltr.... leveraged equity building vs. cash flow).3.

The biggest question I would ask is how well they know the area such as neighborhoods and do they have connections to building a CORE 4 such as great contractors, property managers, attorneys, etc

I started by building a 12-door portfolio using the BRRRR method and self-managing initially.

Building components:Most SPF lumber comes from Canada.Most of our copper for wiring comes from Mexico.Most of our metal fixtures come from China.Tariffs and economic wars.