You can try reaching out to local real estate agents as they often have access to off-market properties.

Look for areas with job growth, population growth, and infrastructure development that can drive demand for real estate.Networking and Education: Connect with local real estate investors, agents, lenders, and other professionals to gain insights, knowledge, and potential investment opportunities.

Partnerships with people you don't fully know can get messy pretty quickly so in your scenario I would go to a local bank and get a construction loan.

I see that you are local to the Grand Rapids Area.

A lot of out of state rental property investors and even local landlords prefer buying new construction homes that need as little maintenance as possible.

I'd personally recommend a local lender for something like this.

I hope to learn a lot here and maybe meet some local investors. 

Here to help and also local in Salt Lake City.

Hi, I'm a looking to network with any private lenders who are local to Northwest Ohio.

I always hire a local to “walk the neighborhood” for me to get a more in depth view of the neighborhood