But we've got members from CA, Maine, Detroit, Philly, Cheyenne, Iowa, New Orleans, Cleveland, DC, Virginia, Texas, Las Vegas, Annapolis, KC....so pretty much all over.

.: I like how they hire VA's to up-vote every single post in every single forum, makes me feel better about myself!

And here’s a quick tip: use that VA loan!

The good news is that once you gain some traction you can hire a VA to help with the initial calls (either part time or full ). 

Typically an investor will not get into that type of deal unless they get significant upside as there is a chance the entitlement does not work and all that $ ends up going to $0. the projects I am funding for pre development costs in VA are running 600k to 1mil .. out west here usually 100k to 200k can get you to pre lim plat..

I would say to invest in Columbus first thought because Virginia is very expensive. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway is also closed, even up in Virginia while the NPS assess the damagehttps://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/gettingaround.htm

If it did, I would go on linkedin and see what experience they had (for example that apple... company in TX had asset managers who were overseas VA's  - curious how many of those investors knew that and could have spotted a thirty second search would have created a red flag).5.

What other resources such as VA’s could I consider?

Down Payments with Private Lenders:Traditional Loans (Bank): As you mentioned, conventional loans often require 5% to 20% down depending on the type (FHA, VA, conventional).