For someone starting out in fix and flips, what are some things to look for in choosing the right accountant/cpa to start a house flipping venture?

Any thoughts if it's the economy or something else? 

Likely 99%+ of the recipients won't be interested in selling at the moment (and with a list that large, some of the data is invariably wrong or has changed since collection), but if you can stay in their mind for when they are ready to move forward with something, it's potentially worthwhile.If you've collected their data, likely someone else already has (or will soon), so differentiate and show your value. 

If you want to look at something less traditional than just owning and renting the house, think about doing private money mortgaging.

I've read some things here about sub-to but I'm still a little hazy on the process.

If it is something that is related to heat you might want to use RUBS Ratio Utility billing by square footage. 

I would build as many relationships as possible and be ready to act fast when something does interest you. 

The first thing that would be helpful to start doing is to ask yourself what a 'good purchase' is to you.Is it something that cash flows $200 / door / month?

That is definitely something to think about.

These things are important so later on you can do a 1031 Exchange if you want to sell and buy something else.