Eventually, I found real estate syndications and became a full time passive investor.  

This does pose a challenge since that real estate is a lot more expensive than if you go more west and south.

It’s tempting to handle everything yourself to save on costs. But consider this: if your time is worth $100/hour and you spend 40 hours a year on tasks you could outsource for $25/hour, you’re effectively losing $3,00...

Yeah, I believe is a good strategy depending on the loan you're putting together. 

I depend on another department as well for answers and I too have to wait," and then asked if I would "be open to an installment of a partial payment?

@Frank Mongiello is a great choice for a real estate agent who works with real estate investors in South Florida and Central Florida

Also, as a licensed broker, it's important to note that real estate brokers are not Zoning experts. 

We host a free real estate meetup the first saturday of every month if you are interested in coming and meet some awesome real estate investors who are looking to do their first deal to savy seasoned investors.

They have lots of options for you, depending on your budget.

It depends on the deal and the risk profile.