I've also signed up for New Orleans REI meet ups in the upcoming weeks in hopes of making valuable connections in the local market. 

Once you have a PM put it on market for rent your friend is more then welcome to go through the process with them.

Also, keeping an eye on zoning changes or upcoming developments can help you get ahead of the curve.Would love to hear more about your experiences too—what areas are you currently focusing on?

Why not just set up sole prop?

Just call up an agent and ask them if they are the best in their market , odds are the first call you make will be the one .

Source , but for the ones that are that could be a risk if Trump and DOGE's plans to cut those jobs ends up reducing a significant amount of the jobs in DC.

It takes a lot of time to build up a reputation in the wedding/event space.

As someone who occasionally works with these investors, I always try to emphasize the challenges that come with real estate like managing renovations, dealing with tenants, and navigating market fluctuations.

The quality of answers to your are directly correlated to the quality of your questions asked.  

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding!