Looking to do my first BRRR very soon...oh, and I'm also a Professional Engineer and posted in the commercial real estate forum about Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments...so I could help out in that arena if anyone needs it....thanks!

I always had a good cushion, positive cash flow however small plus my wife and I were both professionals with good paying jobs.

I find note investors to be busy professionals or more retired folks who want zero to do with a tenant or pm 

Local meetups can help you meet some licensed professionals in your area such as, plumbers, electricians etc.7.

Level 5 leadership - The level 5 leader builds enduring greatness through paradoxical personal humility and professional will.

I would intern at what ever real estate companies your interested in.My daughter was interested in finance.. and she interned during collage with a high level appraisal company that did apprasing for emanate domain cases.. and she worked on the one in Napa CA were the state and city bought out a big swatch of the napa river for flood control project and many business had to be relocated from hotel to shopping center to car dealer all of them needed to be valued.. it was high level work she enjoyed it.she then went on to graduate top of her class at Davis CA.. in managerial economics degree and promptly got snapped up my Intel after offers from Apple and Micro soft.now 14 years later she is a SEnior controller and a Dave Ramsey disciple which means at her age home just about paid for 2 kids in grade school and NO debt and a ton of savings and max's out her 401k.. she has little interest in real estate she owns one rental but only rents it to family. that was her path.  

Calculate your bottom line using 70% of ARV (After Repair Value).Do not spend more than (.7*ARV)-RC (Repair Costs)Example: House is appraised at $100,000 *if repairs are made*...7*100k = 70k.Repair costs are expected to be $25k. 70k-25k = $45,000 (DO NOT BUY THE HOUSE IF IT IS OVER $45k)Take another look at the ‘going rate’ of rent in your area, make sure your cash flow is enough to cover ALL costs and include a buffer for taxes and unexpected repairs.Look at the property yourself - try to eliminate assumptions.Have a trusted professional assess and confirm info about repairs that may have been overlooked.Look at how much work you can do on your own and compare it with contractor rates to complete all repairs.

If you just say can I wholesale a lot of real estate professionals do not understand what you are really saying and will shut your question down by saying NO as a first reaction with out thinking. 

Since you have family in the area, I would recommend you plan a trip here and schedule some time with local professionals to put together your local team.

I know the area, it is a hot spot for grad students and young professionals (as myself), with a few large developments coming to area as well.