From what I've seen, new construction in the area is often estimated from various sources to take 16+ months including permit timelines.

@Adam RossRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Basically what I'm talking about is cash reserves, or a tappable cash source to weather out the storms that come with the ups and downs of the market over time.Just my 2 cents! 

The purpose of investing in a syndication is to leverage the sponsor's time, expertise and ability to source great deals, but if the experience is going to cause you to lose sleep at night, the return may not be worth it.

I would imagine most misrepresent their sources and uses when they apply for their financing.

., funding, management, deal sourcing) based on strengths.Bylaws to Include: Cover profit/loss splits, decision-making processes, buyout clauses, and what happens if the partnership ends.

You're going to get a lot more business by being a credible source of information that says out loud that it's a "what can you do that is really hard?"

Just search and try to find ones that understand sourcing investment properties. 

We have to order six months ahead from our Mennonite source and put a deposit down

You might want to try List Source.