Find local meetups, rub elbows with other investors, find out what they need, and then find a way to meet that need.For example, maybe an investor is growing fast and struggling to keep up with inspections.

Here's an example of the landlord laws I'm referring to ("Justice for Renters Act"  - this is coming up on CA's November ballot). 

Getting that first property is exciting—and yeah, NYC is no joke when it comes to price of entry.Honestly, a lot of people I’ve talked to in your shoes end up finding better opportunities just outside the city.

He asked me to fix it up and sell it, and then he'd let me keep the profit.

@Jade Frank I agree with what @Dominic Mazzarella and others are saying here, but If you find the downside outweighs the gain and you ultimately decide to sell the property, Since the property was held for investment use it would qualify for a 1031 exchange. 

The secret to dominating the world of off-market acquisitions isn’t about delivering a slick pitch or being pushy—it’s about becoming the trusted, go-to problem solver that sellers want to work with.

I'd level up with a BRRRR, live-in flip, or house-hack before jumping into a challenging renovation.

I love the idea and I would like to analyze deals using a variety of strategies and model each strategy out, however I am struggling when it comes to the rubber meeting the road for analyzing the deals.For example, I would like to analyze deals in a single spreadsheet for various strategies such as seller financing, subto, traditional lender, external investor, etc. etc. 

Basically, the money used in this type of financing comes from "Wall Street".

I read the permitting process and it seems somewhat strict.