Would anyone suggest completing a formal business plan when starting a real estate business or simply understanding and following you goals and objectives?

Find a GC who’s willing to put in the work for a cut of the profit when you sell?

Of course, those are simply general statements and can vary depending on your market.Otherwise, the process is the same and at times easier because it's easier to get comps on condos.

Was it simply being able to bring the property back up to code?

Personally, in the situation you described, I would just simply make the introduction between the two people I knew and hope they were able to make a deal work between them. 

I’d like to push all tax write offs to the non-Trump tax cut era. 

Ultimately I sold all my out of state rentals simply because the return is very dismal. 

Option 1: invest in multi family housing Pro- semi reliable income- cuts cost on my living expenditures -recession proof (can be argued)Cons- high cost start (for me at least)- first time managingOption 2: Buy land and try to negotiate a development deal Pro-huge reward -can be fast- after deal is done right, I'm hands offCon-very risky especially for intro-no expertise in this field -finding a great deal in hardOption 3: wholesalePro-great return-can be fast-not long term Con-hard to find good deals especially with a full time job -can be a nightmare project-no expertise Please correct me if I have messed up with any of my pros/cons.

Talking to her was honestly like walking on egg shells for some reason....Before I knew it, she was offended that I simply was trying to be of help.

I expect most people to say networking, but let's see what's working in this market.NetworkingCallingDoorknockingPostcardsSocial MediaPersonally I cut back on my mailers and I'm mainly going direct to seller with door knocking and calling.