Be patient and don't put all of your eggs in one basket. 

Hopefully the outcome is fruitful for the hosts! 

Commingling funds and improper signing are low lying fruit.

From what I see online, there seems to be a lot of low hanging fruit in those 2 states.

@Brian NaumannI had read several posts in the thread before I realized that you are right here in Mishawaka.As @Jay Hinrichs said, there is plenty of low hanging fruit right here in our area.Hopefully you found a good mentor who will point you in the right direction.South Bend has a lot of cheap C class and below properties, so does Mishawaka to a lesser extent.

Financing will be the biggest obstacle for you, but if your family is willing to JV and has a credit here that would be the "lowest hanging fruit" for financing.  

I can't imagine having all my eggs in one basket up here, have you thought about diversifying to other regions to hedge risk or am I crazy?

Stocks, funds, real estate - it's all the same and putting all your eggs in one basket (market) is a risky move.

BP is an amazing resource I'm sure it will bear fruit for you!

I understand what it takes to work hard, sow all day / night and wait for the fruits of the tree to develop before one can reap.