I would suggest using our Find a Lender service which is free for you to use in order to find a trusted and vetted hard money lender directly from BiggerPockets. 

I will continue to look for properties near military bases, rental history has been fantastic.

As noted, almost all the information is available for free on the internet.  

And others have pointed out that building in flood zones can be much more expensive with special permits, requirements like living area starting above base flood elevation, probably more than the $25K difference in the lot that's not in a flood zone.  

Decide if you want a two, three, or four-unit building based on what you want, your budget, and how much work you can handle.

Everything else I've read on the internet was a panicked "GET RID OF THOSE PIPES!" 

Bonus points if I'd be able to upload all of our Mint data and could hit the ground running with the new service!

This means they would not be able to live, work, stay, or provide services on or to the property.

Just start looking for properties and let the property property decide if it wants to be a flip or a rental based upon then numbers. 

I'm not very familiar with how flat roofs work, but I'm going to relay what my handyman told me, based on what he saw and the account of a tenant who witnessed some of it:-They tore the existing off the roof, did not replace any sheeting.