You can exclude all appreciation on the original capital gains investment when you exchange or sell a property in an opportunity zone if you held it for more than 10 years.You are able to permanently exclude 10% of deferred gains from capital gains tax as long as you hold the property for at least 5 years and 15% if held for 7 years.Deferral of recognizing capital gains after the sale of a capital asset as long as the capital gains are invested in a QOF within 180 days of the property disposition.

I'm not a fan of buying a short term liability (no cash flowing property) in hopes of long term gain through appreciation. 

I love researching and gaining knowledge from people who are more experienced than I am.

As for taxes, they only delay capital gains, not reduce them entirely.

Then don't rehab for zero COC return.But if you can spend $3000 on the lite rehab and increase rent from $1000 to $1050 then you'd gain $50 per month.50 x 12 = $600 more annually because you rehabbed.600 / 3000 = .2 or a 20% cash on cash return! 

A picture is worth a 1000 words and a project we helped someone on in the UP was able to gain support and approval by getting renderings done showing what the finished project would look like.

Understand the basics of private lendingResearch real estate marketsDetermine your investment strategy and criteria for loans, including:- Amounts- Interest rates- Repayment termsCreate legal documents with a lawyerNetwork with real estate professionalsPerform due diligence on potential borrowers and their projectsBegin with smaller loans to gain experienceMonitor your investments closelyConsider joining a private lending group for additional resourcesStay informed about real estate trends, lending practices, and legal regulations

The best advice on this topic, in my opinion, comes from 2 books:How to win friends and influence peopleNever eat aloneI am also looking for brokerages to work with or even experienced shadow / intern for to gain experience and additional knowledge.

Analyze properties that need only minor updates and start small to manage costs and gain experience.

I used tools like BiggerPockets to analyze deals weekly, and building a reliable team and networking with experienced investors helped me gain confidence.