On a side note: As a new investor myself I am looking to grow my relationships, especially with contracotrs, and would love to hear about your work.

Create columns for Name, Street Address, City, State, Zip and then contact info: Last Contact, Relationship, Status, Email & Phone.IMPORTANT: do NOT ask people for THEIR business, ask for referrals!

Plus, no matter what happens Mark is my guy down there and I told him if I ever made a personal comment about his relationship, to tell me to stick it.They always lock the gate at night so no one can drive on to the property and to keep the guard dogs in.Later while my wife and I were driving and checking our storage units, I called Mark to re-iterate we had heard about this and to let her know we will never get involved in their affairs.He said. 

However, building a relationship on a lack of disclosure or a lie isn't probably the best idea, let alone the ethics of the matter.Hope this helps.

They tend to rely solely on property managers and fail to effectively oversee the management of the property.

But if your looking to cash flow like $500 or more per month you might want to look into more cost effective markets where you can purchase a property very cheap and the rents will give you that type of cash flow your looking for.

Working with an experienced project manager that had an established relationship with a contractor worked at then end for me. 

As an attorney you likely have relationships you can lean on if you want to pursue this avenue. 

Since you currently operate without an LLC and report rental income on Schedule E, the vehicle purchase might not seamlessly integrate into your existing tax structure.To leverage Section 179 deductions effectively, you may need to consider restructuring your rental property management operations.

Initially, focus on building relationships with sellers rather than pushing for immediate deals.