I personally have had great experiences in Cleveland and Columbus. 

I think personal capital is great.

The property I would buy is in her LLC but she would like the dream home she’s building to be in their personal names, can she use a 1031 exchange at the end of the 3 year balloon when I pay her off and use those proceeds towards a new construction build?

Also, @Connor Gillen is a great person to chat with as well. 

I use State Farm for my personal residence; it's bundled with my auto insurance.

We have zoom going on most of our in-person meetings.We are a nonprofit and focus on providing education for Real Estate investors.We have 10 or more meetings a month including the main meeting where we have a different speaker providing information on a RE topic.Check us out!

You could try driving for dollars.In general, the easier you make this person's life, the more valuable you'll be to them.

Be prepared to answer a lot of tough questions about the risks and the process in general.On the plus side, having to pay cash and be at the auction in person usually roots out the "know nothing" buyers that drive prices up.

Personally, we spent about a year and a half listening to podcasts, reading a bunch of REI books, and talking to experienced investors before we felt the time is right.

Not necessarily but I felt as though I didn’t need to spend more time there personally.