I am contemplating meeting with community leaders and getting their input on their needs and views  so that I align my interest with bears.

Many, many contractors go out of business because they can't price high enough to sustain a business.The important thing to remember is that, in most cases, the market dictates both cost and price... it's not that different from selling a house - you can only sell for what the market will bear.

This would be state specific but generally probate court procedures/rulings have no bearing on civil cases.

If you can't bear it, you've already mentioned some other possibilities that may be worth pursuing. 

I've been tempted with the Bear Lake area.

You could also think about Big Bear.

Because it's cheaper and you're willing to bear more risk.

A local broker said something recently that bears noting: "a lot of brokers utilize CoStar and Loopnet these days.

In todays market' has ZERO bearing on wholesale fees.

I am currently using Marshall Reddick as a means to dip my toes in the water until I get my bearings enough to take on a transaction by myself.