The real estate community is a great place to start.For number two, it is tough, but do what you can to learn a market. 

Sounds like there is a letter he will need to send me or to the lender to prove he is gifting me this money. 

Now looking back, I kind of want to get a few STRs near Medical Center (yes I know that’s gonna be tough) and theme them out.

Historically residential real estate has proved to be a haven during periods of high inflation.

:P I know it's a tough market, but I believe that where there is a will, there is a way.

Most of the old warehouses vacant and for sale for $1 around here are really tough locations so spending millions to upgrade an old building to be in a C or D class area is not that enticing.My family used to own a large warehouse for dry ice production and distribution as the neighborhood turned to crap between the 1950's and 1980's they moved into a bigger building in a nicer part of town. 

If you show up in court and the tenant said the holes were there when I moved in, do you have something that proves otherwise? 

Try chase I heard Wells Fargo is really tough, chase has been really good to me and id also like to give investors bank a try 

I would absolutely ask to see the bids or documentation to prove what they are saying to confirm this!

We have the added difficulty of being 35 miles down lake from town so getting a cleaner to go that far is tough, but we have managed for the last 4 years.Being in the Orlando area, you should have a plethora of choices.