Lastly when I was newer in the business I was a Land ONLY specialist I sold smaller to larger Ranch style land and depending on where it was and how difficult it was to show standard fee's in those  days was 10% and on some of my deals that were 40 miles of dirt road back into Mendocino National Forest and took someone with my unique skills with maps and compass's to even find the land I charged 20 to 30% commish on those.

How many times do you need to repeat a skill to be considered a master of the art?

Use the skills you learned to find deals for others to find deals for yourself.3.

I do agree that having a clear timeline and budget is vital and am actively doing my due diligence with researching that subject.

You are very skilled at assumption, and proficient in being WRONG. 

If you're interested in learning tactile skills like the building trades then doing is probably the best route.

What are some skills you have that you could help hosts with?

But if you already own the home, if you have a skill set that compliments theirs or the downpayment money, their experience may be leveraged to finance the deal.And there is always the "friends and family" approach of trying to get one of your relatives to put up the money, either as a loan or equity, to get started.  

They can sharpen skills you already have, or expose you to things you've never even thought of.

Wow both  of you have strong professional skills for the flipping business.