I went on the county website, found the contact info for all the lot owners and started mailing out heartfelt letters describing why they should sell me their land.

I would recommend using a website that is already set up.

There are calculators on this website, and more information on the website about how to do this mathematically.This is not a charity game .

They set me up on a website that I pay by wire transfer.

At the VA website, it clearly states that:VA home loans can be used to Build a homeSimultaneously purchase and improve a homehttp://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/purchaseco_eligibility.aspThat being said, we're on the hunt for lenders that offer VA Rehab loans, i.e. the second on that list.  

You can find out your zoning on the property viewer website. http://property.nola.gov3.

The best place to look is this website here:Pocono Vacation Homes for Sale (poconovacationhomesales.com)For me personally, I own an Airbnb in the Penn Estates community.

I learned a bit about the process and was given info on how to get started researching on county websites and also info on the lifecycle of a lien.

Do you have a website?

Tools like Zillow, Realtor.com, and local real estate websites can provide valuable insights.Choosing a market involves balancing risk and potential return.