I am not yet, I was in the stage of educating myself and have been networking at my local REI, but obviously they mostly work in Raleigh.

@Josh Silvester You need to check your local laws.

As long as you scrub your list and confirm the homeowner still has an active foreclosure pending, you are knocking on the door of one of the most motivated sellers on the planet.

local bank financing How did you add value to the deal?

She is an REI coach, but happy to hop on a call, and she lives out there so would have the local knowledge and skillset to help.

You'll give up some project but the value in that first deal is what you learn.Sometimes you can meet builders at local real estate meet ups

Making sure you are doing more hours than any other party can be tricky, which is why you should regularly monitor your hours and the activity of your vendors. 

I bought properties needing rehab for the last 24 years, had local contractors complete the necessary upgrades only to be able to max the rents, and sold them a few years later after the numbers stabilized using a 1031.  

...talk to an experienced local realtor/broker, etc.* Assess what rehab work needs to be done and assess the potential rehab costs.

I am mostly local, using driving for dollars, reverse driving for dollars, and government lists.