what I did with some on my hard woods on a few of my properties I traded logs for finished flooring and had some really cool custom oak flooring made for my personal residence. 

I reached out to a commercial broker to get idea of rent rates.

ask for a list- what is the market price per door and cap rate (try to get a report from a credible source like Yardi or coStar, don't rely on the broker)Good luck!

Similar to what you are talking about, some Realtors get paid to provide BPA's (Broker Price Opinion) - this is a really great way to learn how to evaluate a property and would get you the experience you currently lack. 

I'm a small broker still helping buyers, sellers and doing property management. 

Still I would strongly suggest meeting with a mortgage broker who understands RE Investing in your area.. 

While investment groups are good, I also recommend you also schedule lunch/beer/coffees with a range of active professionals across the spectrum: brokers, title, CPA, small contractor, attorney, etc.  

I'm a fairly new investor myself and a brand new real estate broker here in Northwest Indiana. 

op=agent&act=webp...Kelly Upchurch is a broker-owner who use to be my broker-sponsor and assisted me in my first ever probate retail sale.This is her website: http://stonebrookrealtygroup.com/And Megan Laherrere is also a broker-owner and can be contacted through her website:https://www.megansellsplacer.com/All three are also investor friendly and yes, there are programs for the first time home buyer(s).On a side note the town of Pleasant Grove is in Sutter county but within the geographic area of Sacramento county.All three will be able to answer all your questions. 

I think it's difficult to find customer of a fired out property .