@Felicia Vinces it sounds like you missed our Year End Live show and Podcast of "Real Estate Notes Show' where 2 15 year experience note investors break down what makes a note valuable.  

Or is it more than that and not something to be done without development experience?

These two contractors may not like that area, or just had one bad experience, so it would be great if you could explore more of what other experiences people had/have in the city. 

Would love to learn from your experiences.4.

I'll give an over-arching view since I am only answering for my own company and don't want to use this as advertising. 

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

If so, how is your experience?

Does anyone have any experience with buying and selling in a flood plain?

With flip loans, experience is key.

In terms of finding a partner, I would recommend partnering with someone who has something that you don't have (understands renovations, real estate experience, has money, etc.)