Start by thoroughly evaluating leads for profitability, calculating ARV (After Repair Value) based on comparable properties sold in the area within the past six months.

Based on your post you're talking about buying the trailer, not the land.

There are a number of meetups in Sacramento and we have been coordinating the dates among hosts so that there is no overlap - I run the West Sacramento Meetup that @Ben Howard mentioned (we gather every 4th Tuesday of the month).Here is a list of meetups that we're in collaboration with (they are all based on an abundance mindset that we have here on BP)- 1st Tuesday - REI Connect @ Roseville Meetup (reach out to @Nicole Masters)- 3rd Tuesday - Investor Mixer @ Crawdads on the River- 3rd Thursday - Folsom Out of Bounds (dates may shift a bit)- 3rd or 4th Wednesday - Real Estate Round Table (CH Cafe & Grill) - they recently relaunched and stabilizing the schedule- 4th Tuesday - West Sacramento Real Estate MeetupI'm working on putting together an easy to access list that Sacramento investors can refer to.

Some people in your situation do decide to rent by the room but it is location based. 

Based on my experience, it is always better to get a permit.

I'm not a fan of buying a short term liability (no cash flowing property) in hopes of long term gain through appreciation. 

Right now between my house and ADU, we split the water based on the square footage. 

I'm a huge fan of ADUs, but if you are saying that it won't generate enough money as a long term rental, then maybe you should be looking elsewhere. 

you just have to estimate them based on what the property needs.so if it needs a new furnace + a bathroom gut and remodel + new windows, you estimate that.  

We are creating our partnership, getting approved for a mortgage, and then putting in offers on specific properties we like based on the analysis.