Building a network of agents, contractors, vendors, and tradespeople is something I've spent a lot of time and energy doing, and it is immeasurably valuable in being able to do this.  

If you’re doing updates to a property, they can provide you with a list of qualifications to help your property be more energy efficient maximizing tax deductions.

Agent: Their experience with investing personally and their experience working with customers just like you.

It’s humiliating to call customer service who has no idea what is going on and can’t quite transfer you to property manager.

This doesn't come cheap--these folks were making high six to seven figures depending on volume.We focused on lending to professional real estate investors--so our customers were frequent repeat borrowers. 

I have a ton of customers in CA that have purchased in all over Middletown, OH.

Also, check if there are incentives or rebates for upgrading to more energy-efficient systems in your area. 

Ultimately it was the customer service and poor quality of my post cards that caused me to leave.

Do you see Nike cold calling customers or driving for dollars?

It sounds like you're really ready to dedicate time and energy into educating yourself about possible investments and I love that.