I was told my uncle would collect it for him, because he lived nearby.

Welcome to BP @Victor Jones You can find find potential mentors/ investing partners by connecting with nearby members here https://www.biggerpockets.com/meetAlso, local events would be a good place to find investors https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-events-and-happenings/topics

Beach or park access nearby would be a plus.

If you don't have one, create one or find one in a near-by city. 

What you wanna do is call around and ask what the lot rent is in the near by parks.

Whatever style and bed bath count is the most popular in your area, within commute distance of central area, having a good grocery store nearby helps your value.

The most important thing to look at is the historical operation of the property, then factor in the expense ratios or nearby properties, consider the differed maintenance, age of building, class of building and other operational expenses you may add or subtract to optimize NOI

University students nearby were hot on the market, and I couldn't turn down the rents I could get.

I will look up some REI group nearby :)

There are a few vacant lots nearby that have not yet been developed, though one party paid a significant amount for a lot about 2.5x the size of this one, so that at least provides some basis for comparison.