Happy to hang in Louisville, KY! 

Now, my goal in cultivating those relationships isn't simply to find money to deploy for real estate/business ventures, but to learn from highly successful mentors and ultimately feed off their success while giving back as much as I can free of charge (that's all I've done in my local community since starting.)My question is; where is the best place/online business groups/networking events or places rich people hang out in general that I should be visiting to start growing my business network?

@Johnny Quilenderino, you pose two questions in your post: what am I missing: all the mill work, interior doors, closet systems or hanging rods at minimum, furnaces, water heaters, and many other things.  

How do we hang on to the middle and lower classes who play such an integral role in the economics of any state when they can move to states where there dollar goes farther?  

If he wants to JV then he can either sell part of his interest in the real estate  to you (which would then necessitate a 1031). 

As a broker, what are your thoughts on what kind of shop I should be seeking to hang my license?

They want out of that albatross hanging around their neck and are looking to be cashed out. 

If the property you've owned for a long time is giving you equity that you can use to invest in other properties, and the area is appreciating, I say hang onto it, keep it highly leveraged, and use that money to invest in other projects. 

My background: from an appraiser family, previously licensed and worked as an appraiser myself.  1 Flip.My hang-up: financingAs mentioned previously, I've got to set about 6k back for an emergency fund, need to have some for furnishing my home in Knoxville when I move for school and some other purchases, so I'd like to use around 20k to make the most that I can. 

Its a huge space so a great room for kids to hang out, home gym, craft room ... etc.