Once you establish your cost database you can tell the contractors what you will pay instead of waiting for bids and negotiating.  

You can check this article on the different types of partnerships compared to a venture-specific LLC, and finally I always recommend this article as a good starting point for the topics all partners should discuss and have established before starting an investment.If you have more questions on the legal side of how these things pull together, let me know. 

It’s wise to find a park with established workampers and/or a seller who is willing to stay on for a little while after closing.

They don't like dealing with money they don't know where it came from (drugs, prostitution, gambling, theft, blackmail, fraud and so on.)

Not specific to real estate.It suggested that a lot more business could be done, with or without the Internet, if trust could be established and tracked over time. 

To get the optimal results from marketing your account, stat with an established broker. 

Then, fly/drive to those markets, drive around the neighborhoods, meet with local brokers and start establishing relationships there.

You can jump around until you find one that eventually turns out to be good, or you can educate yourself on what a good property manager looks like, screen multiple options, and then choose one that suits your needs and has an established reputation.Of course it's not a guarantee, but screening potential property managers will greatly reduce the likelihood that you will have problems so commonly referred to in these forums.I would also point out tthat property managers are typically licensed by your state which means they have a responsibility to you and your money.

I know the deficit is insanely astronomical, stock market is a gamble and the housing market is slowing, but what is the best way to get a foggy but somewhat clear picture of what is going on?

You can only listen through so many sales seminars, they all generally follow the same formula: establish credibility with stories of success for the guru and her/his students, throw out a few tidbits of information, create a sense of urgency (Limited Time Only and Special One-Time Discount Pricing), and get people to pay to enter the next level of the sales funnel.I hope I don't sound too jaded :DBut with so much free information available (here on BP, on YouTube, in BOOKS which someone probably spent months organizing into a coherent and understandable information package), it's hard to justify literally thousands of dollars on seminars and coaching programs these days.At the very least, if someone is going to go to one of these seminars I strongly recommend leaving the credit cards at home.