I am currently enrolled in a class in college called professional development and we have to interview 5 people in the industry we choose, and do a write up on each.

Work hard to fill your property with your ideal tenants (lot goes into that, I know) , and then keep them happy. 

This will be a great forum for you to learn and develop a network. 

I have a friend who manages 4 and he says he'll never take on a house under 4000 sf because its the same headaches for less revenue on the smaller homes.Also, read up on VHR Vacation Home Rental recent debates and developments, it's a hot issue currently, not sure what's on the horizen for each jurisdiction around the lake. 

Ideally I'd prefer refi w/cash out but I'm hoping to use the HELOC to get started in that direction.

I really need to develop a better sense for the what houses achieve certain rates.

Do not spend too much time on this but at least know a few guys at your local REIA that are actively flipping that you can sell to when you get your first assignment. 2) Next develop your strategy, build a list of at least 200 properties to mail to.

I'm not a farmer or land developer of any sort, but I'd begin with hiring someone to remove the existing ones, then go in with some Spectracide and spray like crazy.

Will most families keep their properties and rebuild or will a developer come in and rebuild for all?

Real Estate is a team business any way you cut it, so think about how you can develop relationships with brokers, lawyers, etc.