The property price and rents you describe sound good if the units are in fairly good shape (i.e. rentable), and if the location is decent.It's great that you have a background in the trades, it's really helpful to have those skills to apply to a fixer-upper.

I also want to gain knowledge, skills to help out in these situations in the future to be an asset and a partner to someone rather than a client.

In order to increase my skills and get good at running numbers I am looking to partner up with investors who need someone to be a beast in finding their next deal.

Depending on what you're objectives are, as well as what strengths and unique skill sets you may have, that would most likely dictate the type of investment and property that would take you the furthest.

It's more about learning the skills you need to help your clients. 

Having the skill set that you do in the trades gives you a huge advantage.

You should always take care of your family and put them first, which would include paying for their accommodation at such a massive event.I thought this was an interesting example of an investor making a decision based on soft information, rather than hard figures like MSA growth, break even occupancy, # of doors the sponsor has done in the past, or anything else like that. 

The difference for a soft vs hard credit hit is simply whether the tenant was involved with the pull of credit.  

Ask them about specific skill sets required, about their team, experience prior to starting in the niche.

It's hard to find plumbers who are truly skilled with septic systems and don't charge an arm and a leg for their services.