Additionally, over the years I have re-financed over 10 properties with local banks.

Hey Martyn, we are in the process of moving closer to Ten Killer and was curious if you have found any local meet ups for investors?

What an eventful first deal!

I've already obtained a 5% down conventional pre-approval and am working with a local (Ann Arbor, MI), investor-friendly realtor to find deals.

Since I am not local and cannot have my boots on the ground I am looking at a turnkey who is local to this area.

As a local Realtor and investor in Branson, I've witnessed firsthand the ebb and flow of trends that shape our local real estate market.

From what I observed, the community is very tight & close, everyone knows eachother, and they hold lots of community events.

Many hard money lenders are hesitant to provide loans solely for land acquisition, and conventional loans have been somewhat limiting, especially for land deals.What is best strategies for raising private funds. come to some of the meetups locally in knoxville. our next one is literally called where to find the money and will have a panel of private money lenders and capital raisers. 

The short is, you shouldn't be looking to invest right now, you should be looking to learn and connect with other local investors.You have home ownership under your belt, so you want to build on that.

Also ask in local meet ups like REIA meet us or the like about the best title companies to work with for investors.