Look forward to getting more serious about my real estate investing. 

You can find templates for joint venture agreements on BiggerPockets or other real estate investment websites.Next, consider joining local real estate meetups or online groups where you can network with other investors.

Any REGULAR monthly meetups you know of happening in Rochester, Buffalo, or Syracuse?
We have our own in Rochester, but a lot of others that we knew of kind of fizzled out.
Trying to direct people to the right places!

To start, a passive investor would never consider co-hosting so I can’t even answer that question as people have mentioned these are businesses. 

I would offer 90% of the market value. if he sells it you with no agents he is saving 6%~ on real estate agent commission and the other 4% is a convenience fee in that he dos not have to endure showings etc. and you will get better pricing on a non-owner occupied property if you put down 25% is compared to 20%.  

If you can still afford to pay them at least 2.5-3 times what their normal rent/mo would be - it can work but you have to be able to keep them busy/fed at the same time. 

So I am familiar with soflo.One strategy I am trying to implement is The 4-3-2-1 Strategy:Start with a 4-unit property: Live in one unit, rent out the others to cover your mortgage and expenses.Repeat with 3-unit, 2-unit, and attain your dream home last (1 unit property)After 12 months of living in each property, consider a cash out refinance to use equity for improvements or further investments, if beneficial for you.Build a real estate portfolio of 10 rental units in a 3 year span while generating rental income.

All real estate in Miami that you now own outright and manage?

Basically, the guy’s tantrum cost him a lot of business. 

I have 3 SFR properties in Section 8 with no real issues.