If you search for groups with "wholesale" or other keywords you'll see them, there's a lot.

Or, you'll get so well known that other investors will want to fund your deals.Below is a piece we wrote about how to build your network and search for deals.

If you want to go in person, just search in Stamford and you will find one.

Yes both states have licensing requirements for contractors and subcontractors which can be found with a simple google search

Do a Google search for Awesome Arcades.

I think most people searching in a given area are not looking to prey they are purposely looking for lodging.

It's a cycle, the planet has NEVER sat at a static climate, it's an ever changing and cycling thing. 

You could put it into a note, after finding a local broker in your area (search for hard money lenders in your local market if you aren't sure where to start). 

You can also find real estate investing groups through meetup.com, Facebook, or a Google search.

Often you are getting a pretty sizeable discount for your efforts, resulting in both captured equity and cashflow.The best ugly properties go quickly, so when I was looking, I got in the habit of searching daily.