Look for areas with high tourist demand and strong rental yields, and consider attending real estate seminars to gain insights into the latest trends and strategies.  

But when their business relationship with the actual bank soured, the API connection was severed and the people were basically left without access to their money..

My top tip is to first determine which strategy you want to pursue.

My wife and I have done multiple live in flips and a couple traditional flips now, looking to scale that part of our business.

- does anyone have any advice on these strategies that I can learn from?

Hotel/Motel, Condo, Apartments all have had substantial rates because a lot of companies have either stopped writing the business or non-renewed it and the companies that will still write it have to take premium because of the risk they're taking on.I know that doesn't help you at all but my advice would be if you have an independent agent who you trust and like and believe they're doing the best they can for you stick with them and let them work all the markets for you.

Any book recommendation on the strategy of finding sellers first I have read a few but they are not what I am looking for.   

If you are married to your partner (spouse) it’s a little different, but business partnerships can be more challenging - especially when things aren’t going well.  

I went into the course assuming I was paying $10k for a streamlined acquisitions process but what i got was two days of narcissistic self-aggrandizing guru garbage, a “mind map” that looks like it was thrown together, 34 “strategies” that can be found for free on BiggerPockets sprinkled with juuuuuust enough guru gimmick word vomit and hand waving to impress the eager and inexperienced, several of which were repulsive and absolutely predatory..Instructing students who get their offers turned down by a seller to walk out of the appointment, get in their car and blast out the property out to cash buyers anyway..  

I was buying th wrong deals, in the wrong markets, with no exit strategy.