I've tried hiring contractors but the cost seems so high it's hard to make deals work, so my question is where do you find people to hire full time for general work like drywall, flooring, painting etc......

The Power of networking, Making High Level Connections is the new book for this month Speaker, Alexandra Labbar.

I'm going to give you some advice because I know the borrower profile that big box lenders like.First, get your credit as high as possible. 

I would highly recommend The Storage Rebellion.

The two main downsides are finding syndicators and deals to invest with, and the high minimum investment - $50-100K if you invest by yourself.

If a new investor comes in with a 300k purchase and a 200k rehab in a high end market where it will take 3 months to sell, a lender will not be so hot to lend a newbie in that situation.

Even with relatively high rates, deals are still moving quickly here. 

Bad for agents who make a killing selling high end homes.

Seems like short term would likely generate more revenue but not really sure about profit when you consider vacancy and property management fees of ~30% (I would consider remote management but I would think cleaning fees would still be ~$400/mo. which is high).

Im in NJ, but not sure it's the right market for me due to very high taxes and cost of houses.