I want to improve my "deal combing" skills in order to have an elite understanding of where value can be added, what makes a high quality area, where I can generate appreciation due to an area's rent disparity, and what makes a deal just "feel good".

But construction is booming and there aren't enough skilled workers. 

What kind of skills do you have?

Timing the market rarely works and if it does it's usually about 95% luck and 5% skill.

I discovered like-minded investors that had the skills and time to do the work, and I brought the funding. 

It was that skill and trust in that function why many persons placed 7 figure sums into his hands happily and readily.

People want to partner with people they like and trust in addition to all the hard skills-it looks like you are pretty good with numbers.

Start with listening to the podcasts, identify what you are good at, could be finding distressed properties, analysis, or phone skills, etc.

Pay him and use him or don't in the future, but if you don't get multiple quotes, you only have one dollar figure to make the decision.Like @Linda Weygant said, you're paying for the skill, not necessarily the time. 

He has experience In running a business which is what he’s doing now and I’m a skilled tradesman.