Above all, I met some great like minded people who genuinely cared for my success.

Try a private lender  and a Joint Venture

@Tony Payper If you are open  to Joint Ventures and also equity partners, you will have more options:)

They all appeared very genuine and committed to the success of their projects and the happiness of their clients.

Each partner determines their own RE professional status if not married and MFJ (Married Filing Joint).

I am curious if classifying my spouse as a real estate professional can offset ordinary income when filing jointly.  

genuine cash flow.here's some good reading for you. 

Rahul, I have about 10 you can talk to. you'll also want to have an equity partner with new build experience so you can get the best terms. most of ours are national lenders. we doing joint parnterhsips for new builds and take a small interest in a single purpose entity for example:Rahuls New Build LLC (95% owner)Pink Development and Construction LLC (5% owner, no voting or distribution rights)Take title to "Miami New Build Limited Partnership LLC" which is a single purpose entity. 

Are  you  open to a  Joint Venture in an LLC?

Like many others, I have had a negative experience Joint Venture investing with Scott Carson and his company Inverse Asset Fund LLC.