:)Wish I could go to BPCON but will look out for local meetups in the NY Tri-State area.

I would recommend 2 things: 1 - reading books about real estate investing, particularly the topics you mentioned because BP has specific books about this (click on LEARN at the top of this page) 2 - attend a few real estate meetups! 

We do have a partner we're working with but she's coaching us out of state so itd be nice to find a mentor or co-wholesaler to work with locally. 

Partially by circumstance, albeit those that I created, I will confidently say that I am the amongst the very few local Real Estate Professionals that are as intimately familiar with the rules, regulations and requirements to reliably invest in a permittable vacation rental property ANYWHERE on the Oregon AND California Coast's. 

Also, by having to do this VRBO no longer remits my local taxes.

They do require patience because they are similar to construction where they can take 60-90 days on average to close.You cannot do the work you need an approved GC or builder and typically required to get (3) estimates from (3) local licensed GC/Builders.  

, what made you feel secure taking the leap with hard money and going after that first flip.Partnering with an investor or doing seller financing would be ideal, but I'm still growing my network by cold calling other investors and real estate agents and attending local events.

.- You can find your local real estate investing meetups.

I am also needing to get my loan team dialed in...So, do you also have recommendations on national banks (obviously I'll check banks local to the deals I find), but would like to start with national banks who specialize in this space.

You might try to track down some local lenders who are experts in condo lending to see if they would finance them.