Personally I don’t just max out the equity in all my buildings because I don’t want a ton of debt that I have no means to pay back at my wage level. I

Is this leading to the upsale to a new level?I

There are no areas that you can't make money in.You need to narrow it down a bit and be more specific about what you are looking to do, what your investment goals are, what your experience and comfort level is in dealing with crime, etc, are you personally living there, do you need to commute to work, etc etc etc.   

Looking for explanation on how to go about forming a partnership (LLC) to advance investing to another level. I

Seems like a really tough market, at least for entry level. I

I am looking to invest in a coach to take my investing to a professional level. I

I would then look for partnerships as the experience level is high enough that people will gladly partner with you.

Slow, steady, measured growth to that level is doable and I wish you all the best. 

Flat rates are not common in the level I work with, I could separate labor and materials in all of my bids down to the last cent.

For example...I have a 16 unit complex that is all two story townhouses with the washer and dryers being located on the 2nd level. I