I put my personal cell phone on all of the Google Ads so when someone called in, my phone rang.

I've heard of some of these, but not all of them and there are many options out there that it is helpful to hear from someone who has actually used them. 

I saw someone I know who I respect a lot who just created a raising $ course and they struggled to raise a few million over the past few years.

Any general advice for someone starting out in a partnership and looking to grow a portfolio?

I actually had come across your post below in the Events forum and thought to myself it would have been nice to attend that to see first hand a local flip and talk shop about the process.https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/1215682-chec...I am happy to hear that someone with your experience in the region feels that Westchester is a market with some potential.

I think a great strategy would be to find someone who would like to house hack with you, and maybe even someone with a bit of experience local to the area that you trust and know very well to go in on the deal with you.  

It shows how many searches have been in the past 12 months for a city and gives the price range of units in the area.If you choose to contact a hospital ask for HR or if they have someone who specifically works with traveling nurse placement. 

I'd price out different layouts and find someone like an architect who specializes in this. 

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!

How I would go about it is bring a deal to someone ( a friend or colleague) that I knew had money, offer them the terms I have in mind and continue until I find one.