Generally larger commercial properties and shopping centers are easier to classify with hard and fast rules, but to the points above the residential areas really move very quickly and have way more nuance than most people care to admit.zip codes are generally way too large for my liking at least in my market to provide any kind of insights other than macro level economics but even then highways or rivers that cut through a zip code can end up with totally different trade areas.we can get pretty granular with cellphone data and with grocery center data to understand the trade areas and their true boundaries, but that kind of data pull is generally only cost effective for investors doing larger scale projects or developments, and honestly we still just end up getting on the ground and feeling it out, so I generally tell people that the money is better spent on a plane ticket and weekend trip in the area you are looking rather than any kind of "trade area" level data studies.and generally B class in 1 area means something different than another. 

Read Hunter's book.would like connections for future projects

- The market is in a little bit of a lull right now (buyers market), its a great time to buy, but slower time to sell (my primary business is flipping houses) I can supplement my flipping business by providing project management services/consulting, helping investors find discounted properties, etc. etc.

Your project manager should know plenty of guys- delegate this to them3.

Also I'm working on a few commercial projects at the moment as well!

When you start to do a lot of projects, 50% is a lot of money to go out when you are scaling, finding deals, and doing all the other footwork.

Another possibility could be a home equity line of credit (HELOC), if you have sufficient equity in another propertyGood luck with your project!

It balances stability with potential for appreciation, especially if you find a reliable tenant.On the other hand, for investors with time, experience, and a willingness to take on higher risk, active strategies like value-add projects or flipping might yield quicker returns but require deeper involvement.

At that point my project manager (and partner) started pushing him. 

My husband is a contractor, and we’ve done projects like this before for our own home.