I want to spend the next 8 months becoming as knowledgeable about the topic as possible, and apply to some commercial real estate companies before I return. 

I googled it, but maybe some of you guys have some experience and can guide me about that topic?

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This is my first post here so I apologize if this is in the wrong area or this topic has already been discussed.

@Ron S - I have found that each lender has different "dispute" procedures if there is a discrepancy over a flood zone determination, there are more then 100 and as with anything some are more exact then others  (Heres a link to that list) @Ron S thanks for helping me bring up the topic of Elevation Certificates (some people are confused when it comes to the difference between the  Flood zone determination (FZD) and the Elevation Certificate (EC).Flood Zone Determination is usually (and should always be) pulled by your lender prior to a loan closing they typically do this on ever loan so they have documents if they were to get audited by FEMA.

I'm trying to write a blog article on the growing skills gap and what that's going to mean to residential maintenance and rehab going forward.

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I am about 70% through David Greene's book on long-distance real estate investing, attended the last couple of webinars, and have been absorbing articles of interest as I come across them.

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All opinions on this topic welcomed.