I chose to invest most of those gains into a trucking company due to the lack of patience at the time and my 10 year experience being a tractor trailer w-2 driver.

I'd love to connect with local investors to hear about their experiences purchasing their first properties and the lessons they learned. 

However, I haven't been able to find any official information confirming whether this is legal or if it violates any laws.I'm hoping someone here might have experience with this or know of a reliable source that can clarify the legality of contacting a tenant's commanding officer.

Any lenders you’ve had a great (or not-so-great) experience with?

Any insights/people with experience in this market who can chime in?

A partnership requires three things to be successful - Experience, Capital and Time.It looks like you have the capital and experience but maybe not the time.I have my doubts about this working if you have a friend who has weak credit and a limited cash flow.

I was hoping someone with some experience would be able to answer a few questions I have, such as: What kind of deal finding strategies are most efficient in areas like these?

With the capital and experience to offer I've seen this work well as a joint venture.

Now you are saying you have no experience owning/operating an STR, that's another hit.  

Does anyone have any first hand experience with buying Ag Land and rezoning them to residential or commercial properties for land flips, is this profitable?