I want my children to attend good school there and that comes at a cost.

My experience in Denver has been that I have a home with an unpermitted floor above the garage and when we went into the city to find out about the work and if it was permitted they have been pretty generous with me since it's clear based on the ownership timeline that it was not me who did the work but we also have really lax laws in CO in regards to being able to fix your own primary residence yourself without a contractor if you're living in it at the time.

I have a place in Denver CO and my property taxes are around $1200 per year for about 900sq/ft

To overcome this, you can focus on building strong relationships with potential investors by attending networking events and sharing your track record.

You can meet local investors by registering to attend real estate events in your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-events-and-happenings6.

I was familiar with details of the case after I took over the business and his employees who has to take time off from work to attend depositions.What happed in that lawsuit?

This is an excellent place to get started in CHS if you aren't already attending. 

I'm planning to attend a meet up in Fairfax soon and saw your posting on another newbie from MD about some groups so will be sure to check those out too.

Lots of investors and related fields attend. 

Also attend local meet ups