You're off to a bad start if you must create a poor perception of other options to make your concept look good.  

While I often “trade” properties, a friend of mine is a buy and hold guy.  

So I start with the sponsor first.

To answer your last question, my realtor has contractor contacts I should be able to leverage for rehab budget estimates, as well as family friends with experience in the construction trades.

I'm presently a facilities engineer by trade, who does some construction and maintenance for landlords on the side, hoping to get back into the private real estate game.

Have you considered other starting strategies like house hacking or live-in flips?

It sounds like you are off to a great start already especially by educating yourself! 

Trading off current cashflow for principal payoff in the future?

AIM: I am looking to start a syndicate. 

starting with a flip" is really tough because flipping takes capital.