You’ll need to pay MLS dues for access to MLS which in some areas requires NAR/ board of Realtors membership (~$2,000/yr in my market).

However, if you're leaning more toward **purely investment properties** and have the flexibility to dive into the numbers, I would recommend looking at the **South Side of Chicago**.

Hi, does anyone have recommendations on investor friendly closing attorneys in Rochester, Syracuse, or Utica (or other area of Central New York)?

If you don’t know the legal notice requirements for your market make sure you figure all that out before you do anything. 

This will require a commercial loan for you or the next buyer.

Being able to use real estate to offset taxable income requires some sort of participation on his end.If he wants you to be the boots on the ground, it will likely be hard for him to reduce his taxable income.

I plan to use a HELOC but would be interested in the thoughts of others in BPs on this approach or recommendations if there are other ways to financing that I should consider.

Effort is still required to communicate with the Craigslist advertisers, but having software to lift the deals out of Craigslist would surely be worth $1,000. 

The stabilized properties operate fine without me but the development side of the business requires me 24/7.

I highly recommend you read the SEC filing and the 1U Amendment.