It's an appreciation market for sure...just make sure you invest in established neighborhoods.

We would eventually move into the second property and establish it as our primary residence (6-10 years from now).  

I am well established and continue to grow but thought that may be an interesting avenue for capital.

Over the last decade, that gamble paid off and significantly helped grow my net worth and investable cash.  

The purpose of the trip was to establish relationships with realtor(s), contractor(s), handymen, attorney's..... 

We need to establish SOPs that can universally applied regardless of how stable the residents' relationship seems at the time of move-in.

- Should I use my own capital up front or try to partner with an established land flipping business to fund the deals? 

The end buyer is taking over the purchase contract that you have established with seller.

After establishing this, the next most important aspect of this land would be its zoning and restrictive covenants.

talk to the dept of health first (records requirements etc), establish what upgrades/maintenance required, line up a reliable repair/handyman/type person, consult lawyer, and then make your offer, see if you can buy the land it's on via lot line adjustment (ideal scenario). a lot to be aware of, such as system upgrades or county code changes bringing in the requirement to add metered connections to an older small system, for just one example.Otherwise- owner doesn't want to manage, I doubt you really do either but could be wrong.