2 million to raise on a first syndication is going to be interesting unless the relationships are already in place.

In the current market (tons of buyers and lots of liquidity) most wholesalers are working with investors they have an existing relationship with. 

I use Bob myself but if I didn't have a long standing relationship with him, I'd definitely check Matt as other investors in our private club love working with him.

You will learn multitudes more by active experience (whether this be UW, broker relationships, capital raising, etc) vs. listening to podcasts and reading books.

If you don't have a contractor in the area, find a real estate agent that you build a relationship with that can give you referrals. 

We have a good relationship with our bank and had letters and everything else to prove the bank was ok with wholesaling, purchase price, etc... 

I know team members don't necessarily have to be on my payroll, would it be appropriate to seek out professionals and 'pre-create' a relationship with them before launching into my first project? 

My partner and I have been here for 5 years and I was thinking it might be a good idea to do a Lease Purchase considering we already live here and have a stable relationship with the owner. 

If the relationship is civil, I recommend you start by having a conversation that explains that you will be proceeding with an eviction (research the eviction process) and that an eviction will result in it being very difficult for the tenant to rent a nice home for years.  

I personally don't recommend this until you are more experienced because one bad deal can ruin the partnership and your relationship with that individual (and maybe more);3.