A great way to start is by attending RE events and joining a local investors association.

A fee-only financial planner or real estate-focused CPA can help structure the sale, financing, and new purchase in a tax-efficient way.Good luck!

Even if you could count on the 5% increase per year you mentioned, I would be shocked if your taxes and insurance increase per year was less than that.Roof 2 years old might need to be replaced within 10 years, water heater and HVAC may not need to be replaced, will sill surely need a number of maintenance events, ...all of which will increase your cash costs, and delay the cash return. 

There are many events that happen all throughout Texas whether that's just local meetups or big conferences.

Networking at events is a great way to connect with people in your community and find an investor who may be willing to be your mentor.  

Will discuss after the dust clears, or at the DMV REI Meetup - I just found out about this event, so I'll check it out.Next one is coming up July:DMV July REI Meet-up!

Columbus can be popular with events like OSU football games, Crew games, BlueJacket games, and other conventions when they come to Columbus annually. 

We are currently considering a wedding/event venue for that purpose.

Go to networking events and be intentional about who you're looking to meet that day and what kind of value you'd like to add to them.

Here is some events posted on BP:  https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-real-estate-events-...