I'm going off the understanding that you still need to spend 500+ hours in the business to achieve material participation (please correct me if I'm wrong). 

Nothing wrong with that as long as you understand and are ok with it.

While I understand the risks associated with investing in areas unfamiliar to you, my budget forces me to do so.

I have a vision of building and developing mobile home communities in upstate NY that are vertically integrated to allow future members to choose from a catalog of homes, have them installed, provide them with financing options, and make the process of selecting, buying, and living in the community very smooth.Since this is my first time doing this, I would love to chat with an experienced mobile home developer on the following items:Zoning - navigating the zoning process to allow the community to be allowedStart up costs - I am a finance person who would love to better understand start up costs - septic / electrical / water / pads / roads / etcOn Going Maint Costs - in building our business case, I want to build a conservative financial model to capture all re-occurring expenses - utilities, landscaping, capex, septic clean out, etc.I know this is a lot, but would greatly appreciate talking to someone who is an expert in this asset class!

You are correct, local banks would go in and sit with them and go through rates and financing and understanding the payment.

That pragmatism will help you mitigate risks as you understand the different components of managing rentals   

I've never understood those that can't understand the critics of STRs.

Trying to understand the strategy for investment properties with next gen configuration from the experienced. tysm in advance.

The property is located in a mid-size city with several attractions nearby.I understand that management fees can vary by location, but this property management company charges 20%.

Wants what he thinks is a market price for something but doesn't understand the albatross he has created over the last 20 years.