Hi @Nicholas L. and @Chris Seveney a few weeks after my post, they did a part 2 for the survey and 2 days ago, the Zoning Dept. emailed out an update for the proposed policies.Here's their message:"We want to keep you informed and share a preview of the proposed Short-Term Residential Rental Ordinance regulations and express our gratitude for your invaluable feedback and participation in Phase I and Phase II of the Alexandria Short-Term Residential Rental Study.

After about 8 weeks I just stopped participating.

Bigger Pockets also vets lenders a bit before allowing them to participate in the Bigger Pockets Find A Lender tool so they've already done some of the due diligence for you. 

If you or anyone you know would like to join us as a participant or presenter, please contact me via the Meetup site or message me on Bigger Pockets.

You will need to determine the level you participate in your investment as well it makes a big difference. 

We have participants from all over the US so I'm sure you'd find someone near you.

I'm going off the understanding that you still need to spend 500+ hours in the business to achieve material participation (please correct me if I'm wrong). 

Welcome to BiggerPockets, or at least welcome to participating in the forums.

If you have your own business/self-employed you might qualify for a Solo 401(k) or multi-participant 401k whereby you can self-direct into real estate with those funds. 

Dominic, I've found that participating on BiggerPockets forums, appearing on podcasts, and speaking at conferences have built trust with first-time passive investors when those forum posts, podcast discussions, and conference presentations show my experience, track record, and market knowledge to those reading, listening, or attending.This doesn't mean "selling from the stage", but instead, sharing actionable, useful information that I've gleaned from my many years of experience and from my own research.