You should be finding a good RE agent and banker right now.

Protection from lawsuits is a big item to consider as well, especially in higher price range properties. 

Obviously not all properties are going to be $150k -- some may be 125k and others may be 175k.. but they would average around there.

The following is based on my experiences and should be reviewed by an attorney.Here's an example: Two friends teamed up to invest in a property.

However, there may be a commonly expected way of handling it in your area.

I actually think you would be better offering $1.5M cash and use a hard money loan for six months and refinance into permanent debt. 

Clearly 1031 deals will be impossible.

I know it won't help if 100 mile an hour winds come like in LA, but perhaps it could be a start..??

How much should we be profiting from this in order to make it attractive to jump in?"

I'm at the very early stages of my decision making process but wanted to explore some options regarding location and decide whether or not the USDA loan route would be the best way to go.