Post on local Facebook pages for contractor referrals, go to local REIAs, and ask your potential agents and PMs (even if not using a PM at first...you may at some point).There is only so much that service providers can do and many of them are far from "experts"; so, be prepared to be your own expert at being willing to figure stuff out as you move forward.

A client of mine recently invested there and raves aboutt the ease of finding solid contractors who stick to the budget.One piece of advice: before jumping into any market, spend time understanding the local economy, demand drivers (like job growth and population trends), and the landloard laws.

I'm pretty neutral on the local market outlook for the next year. 

Mixed-use are retail and residential.

Getting out to the local meetups, in my opinion, is one of the most important things we all can do as investors. 

I have a couple of agents that I sponsor that does land deals for retail development.

Make sure to consult a financial advisor if necessary and also consider reaching out to your local credit unions.

It may be best to partner with someone that has done one before or somehow is a local expert on lot splits.If you can add a bathroom into existing space on high cost property it can add a lot of value.  

Speak with a local Realtor who knows the market, but also is knowledgeable about creative financing options.Good Investing...

People that are good at branding and review designation can bury those low reviews and I wouldn't want to own someone's reviews but I am not your audience as far as a projected buyer as we purchased ours for a deal and they are both higher end beach stilt houses that are side by side and neither had been listed as a STR on any platform, we built it up with a direct book site and also use the platforms as well as the local website in the area to book.