Would be interested in forming a group of like minded to meet once a month to discuss these and more.  

I hope to have a few days in Oct to get there and meet some folks that can do the work but last time I tried this in July, I had 5 GCs lined up to meet me over a 2 day time span I was in the atea and none of them showed up wasting my time and ultimately stalling the projects.  

Welcome @Wyatt Cutler TiffanyI'm in the area myself and I can meet up and talk about the market with you. 

@Elijah Vo  Thanks Elijah--I will definitely look into that event and will take you up on your offer to meet.  

There are many great reads out there you might find beneficial, not all are strictly REI related.You could listen to all the BP podcasts to gather more information.There are local REI meetups where you could network with other like minded people, that would probably be a good investment of your time.While you're in the information gathering mode and getting as specific as possible with your goals and strengths, save as much as you can. 

If ur friends are low income meet some new friends go to meet ups.  

In addition, I'd be interested in any meetups in early October because I might be coming out for inspections and would like to meet folks while I'm out.  

Looking to meet like minded people in the area.

Here are some good places to start:http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet - find and connect with other BP members that are in your area.http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts - Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you.And, of course thehttp://www.biggerpockets.com/forums - ask any question about real estate!

Do you tell everyone you meet what you do?