If you are also attending let me know so I can say hello and shake your hand and network a bit.

There will be more (guaranteed) and even better like shake downs for a refund. 

I would just say we had a hand shake deal and that I still intend to follow through with it.

Besides that does anyone have any first time out the gate stumbles I can learn from or just any great advice they can share to help me shake off these newbie concerns? 

We all smile, and shake hands, and together have a wonderful landlord/tenant relationship.

You'll be giving away equity, but in reality you have no equity without capacity to buy anyway so if the numbers till shake down to work start working with your local Investors Association for a lender that will partner with you till you have the financing in place.  

I'm also conscious that our market could be reaching a peak soon, and that the US economy is likely in for a shake-up. 

@Joseph HamaouiI had to shake my head when I read your post.

While we both currently own multiple long term hold rentals in Memphis we are looking to hand shake some of the folks that have helped put our successful programs together. 

I see big shake up right now with wholesalers spending all their marketing money getting deals into contract and now buyers wont pay that much and deals are falling apart and not closing or wholesaler has to try to retrade the deals and sellers back out.