I'm fearful of the worst case scenario of buying at the market top and not having money to pay off the hard money loan.

I am ok with commuting up to 30 minutes, so the areas I've been looking has been from the mid Raleigh area (draw a line from NCSU through downtown) all the way down to Clayton, NC.My fear is purchasing a house which doesn't appreciate at all, having trouble selling quickly, or having trouble finding a renter to cover all costs of the house (including a property manager). 

Toastmasters is one avenue that lots of people have used who were terrified of public speaking, and if you get beyond your fear of being noticed you will start automatically becoming a people person.

My biggest fear is making a mistake because it's just me trying to figure it out instead of having a second minde to think these things through...

I've yet to do my first deal but its for many reasons that are not part of fear.

I admit that my own ignorance of how a syndication is set up may feed into my fear. 

I often find that 95% of people I helped are not aware of how to present their claims properly to maximize their repairs and are often fearful of this misinformation related to “acts of God” counting against them.

If you start to leave dead air their doubts/fears will take over in the call. 

I'm hoping that some wisdom from the BP community will either help me overcome my fear and throw the number out or confirm my old negotiation voice.

Do not cave to fear mongering.