At this point I think I need to finish the renovations regardless.

This is an important consideration in most LL decisions, LTR or STR.

I'm just getting started out in this area and would appreciate any suggestions or advice.

welcome @Cam Caraher and congrats on joining BP, this place is the start for many, sure was for me longer ago than I care to admit.I'm not personally in your market, although was born in dorchester and grew up in NH, but this is a great place to meet locals.If you have not already a great starting point is the Meetups posted here, just search for your area and see if any meetups are happening. 

Where do you want to do this relative to where you are, and why?

Our solution to this has been our Maintenace Techs.

Since your friend covers utilities, this offsets some of your cost.

I’m looking forward to learning and building relationships within this space and beyond.I’m so excited to start this new journey!

Joseph,Bigger Pockets is the best site on the internet to build a newtork and get all the hlep you need to avoid mistakes and save money! 

Since I already own the land and would be interested in building on it, what’s the first step to see if this is even possible?