Tap their brains for an hour or so each, and after these meetings you should have a great idea on which one fits your personality/goals more. 

Honestly, my goal is to buy and hold, acquire rental properties.

My current situation is outlined below, and I was wondering if it’s possible for any experienced investors to explain to me how to obtain my goal.

If it's option 1 I would recommend looking into a multifamily in a growing or very stable market that you know very well and have access to easily if its not a market in your back yard.If it's option 2 I would recommend vetting syndicators/sponsors and seeing who is investing in assets that align with you investment goals.

My goal is to build a portfolio that for passive income that will support my family and give me an option for income if I decide to get out. 

It mostly depends on your goals which model you should join.I'll send you a PM.

Delia,What you decide to do with it really depends on your goals. 

I am trying to convert all loans to 20 yr notes, and my long term goal is to continue obtaining properties for passive income and retire early.

Getting to know others in this space and learning how to work together is my underlying goal.

The alternative to that is you could reach out to some of your smaller local banks and one of them may be able to refi faster than the 6 month time frame.