I am just beginning my journey as a wholesaler with zero money and zero knowledge.

Happy to connect and knowledge share if you are interested.

With the way my portfolio and pipeline is arranged I can understand why the construction management or brokerage verticals are most enticing but it still feels too transactional which is what I want to avoid.

Here are additional comments:1) Buying out of state removes any local knowledge you have from assisting in your success, including knowing areas, people and costs. - We always recommend buying your first rental locally if possible and DIY managing to learn as much as possible before investing OOS.2) Lots of crooks and incompetents in the PMC world:( They both cost you money.- As already stated, you'll have a small portfolio.

The type of due diligence all investors would like to do if they had the knowledge, the time and other resources.

I’ve been coaching new investors for a while and many lack funds to get started but find both the lack of knowledge, experience, and funds, often derails them. 

Starting locally gives you that hands-on experience and deeper market knowledge which can be super valuable when you're learning the ropes.

My question for this group of knowledgeable folks:- how does entity swap work ?

I am committed to gaining knowledge and understanding the ins and outs of the industry.

Soak up as much knowledge as possible (i.e., asking questions, reading through the documents, etc.) and continue educating yourself via books and podcasts so that you can leverage that expertise to do your own deals in the future.