Yes, you definitely have to set that up in advance - doing a 1031 is complicated and involves using a 3rd party to hold funds, various timelines for identifying the exchange property, and lots of other restrictions.There's a ton of content on the site about the details - search the forums or the blog and you'll find it.

There is a different level of liability risk involved in note investing vs ownership of properties. 

This is acceptable as long as the holder of the SDIRA is not related to the borrower and otherwise not involved in the project either directly or indirectly (i.e. the holder of the SDIRA does not own a company which is handling part of the renovation). 

I actually flip fire damaged properties, so as @Brandon Sturgill said that isn't a deal breaker--just get the right people involved.

I'm also not an accredited investor so syndication involvement would be limited so becoming accredited is something I'll be working toward.

Based on my strategy (that I call Relationship Wholesaling), when you're building a strong relationship with the Seller and really crafting a custom proposal that meets their needs, there's little need to "discuss it" with them (ie talk about it at length or make a big deal of it). 

This would be in addition to a CPA who typically is most involved during tax season and for tax purposes.

My plan is to gain as much knowledge on real estate investing by reading books, going to events, and meeting great people involved in real estate.

Also, note that Wilkes-Barre involves a lot more work for permits than the smaller municipalities that surround it.

I would like to get involved with the BRRR strategy.