I looking to connect and gain knowledge from a few people who were in my shoes not long ago.

You can pool money together from investors, do you have a portfolio of your work to showcase?

In your shoes I’d get a property manager ASAP.

@Joshua Harmon I am sure you are doing and if I was in your shoes, I would contact every management company in the local area and ask why RUBS isn't a standard.If you have a good product and service, don't be afraid to implement RUBS at your property.Rental of W/D is an addendum to the lease. 

Try putting the shoe on the other foot for a second:  if YOU wanted to do business with someone, would YOU do business with someone as a result of spam e-mail/snail-mail?

If you put yourself in the sellers shoes, they are likely getting 5-10 offers, possibly more.

In order of importance, I'd do the following if I were in your shoes.1) Pay off any consumer debt.

@Jacob Morris thanks for the advice, it definitely is good to hear someone who was recently in my shoes.

I haven't actually done any deals yet but am in similar shoes to you so I thought I could chime in.

If you were in my shoes, how would you go about breaking into this business?