I had a brief F2F with Ivan a couple weeks ago when I ran into him at a conference in FLorida.

Found mine while attending a real estate/small business tax conference.

Defense was just something like I just wanted to buy a part of San Francisco for cheap, I wasn't planning to do anything sinister.   

My best advice is to meet your lenders face-to-face at real estate clubs, conferences, or other professional events.

Because they will get defensive if they feel you are pressuring them.

Available but not on demand.The Lowballer: Initially quotes a very low price but may later demand significant cost overruns.Be wary of contractors who become defensive when you ask detailed questions.Happy hunting!

For networking, consider attending local meetups, conferences, networking events.

In my experience, you are thinking through this correctly.I've heard lawyers say, if the loan is in your name (which it has to be for conventional) and the deed is in the LLC, you aren't treating the business as an independent entity and in a severe lawsuit, the corporate veil is pierced and the LLC can be thrown out.I agree that one of the best defenses is to run your properties well. 

@Jay Hinrichs, while I wasn't going to call them MLM, I did attend an Armando Montelongo (A&E's Flip this House from mid 2000's) seminar at a hotel conference room in 2007 or 08, which was the free funnel to spend $1,500 for a three day seminar or $25,000 for an in-person mentorship.I have seen similar promoted with Christina and Tarrek from Flip or Flop more recently.I didn't start realizing how profitable education can be until the last 5 or so years.  

Great tips @Collin HaysAnother "tip" is make sure you are working with a seasoned STR Realtor or your Realtor is conferring with someone like Collin a season STR Property Manager.At least once a quarter someone contacts me (as a PM) and either wants management or wants my opinion on a property and the property is illegally zoned or otherwise unsuitable for STR, although their Realtor is telling them otherwise.