Work with the city and local brokers to identify the exact product type to meet the housing needs of the area.

Go to local Real Estate meetups and learn from people there

If so does it need to be local to savannah or charlotte? 

Here's the difference between the two - a CPA typically has to have a bachelor's degree in accounting and masters level of education then pass a series of difficult accounting exams, while an accountant may have zero qualifications; this could be your local bookkeeper who learned everything on the job.There is also an Enrolled Agent.

AirDNA and other rentalizer tools are a great resource, but you can not beat real life numbers from a local expert!

Of course, I'm going to call my warm market, brings donuts to RE officers, and attend local business functions, but what are some other things I can do to start filling that pipepline?

I'm a local Realtor in the Raleigh area and specialize in Investment Properties and Property Management.

Quote from @Carlos Ptriawan:  They believe that they will increase the properties NOI by 45% over 5 yr hold, mostly through rent increases after doing 5K interior upgrades in all 252 units, thus adding 19 million to value of property. how is it possible increasing rent 50% in 5 years period in place where comps and rent is decreasing, this local market is extremely saturated.For me if I have to buy in Austin I would find complex that could give DSCR 1.3 at least with 80% occupancy.if they increase rent 50% then we should do intelligence on their closest neighborhood's rent. 

You need to check local laws because there are some nuances on controling thermostats and utility billing depending on the state.

Local bank or national lender?