We were not first-time investors but what we learned about asset protection was from investing OOS.The other thing we learned about investing OOS was to treat it as if you were local. 

I'm local to the Chicago market and would love to help out.

In the meantime, connect with local investors to see what has worked for them regarding house hack deals. 

If you're seeing more price points that are higher than the norm typically it means that either the market is shifting gradually up or that there's multiple people involved in that deal "chain" before it gets to you and everyone is adding their markup.My advice would be to attend a few local meetups to brush shoulders with other investors to pick their brain about whats working in your market AND to start marketing direct to sellers instead of trying to get the deals from wholesalers. 

Local or national groups could be a good option.

This is probably a tougher one considering most Hard Money / Private lenders that are go-to for BRRRRs like this focus on residential only - your best bet might be private money found here or in person networking or a local bank / credit union. 

Hello, I'm looking to purchase properties in my local area (Volusia County, Florida) with the goal of Fix and Flip, or BRRRR, should I work with a realtor or buy directly from a wholesaler?

Network as well and go to local real estate meet ups.For funding: you can HELOC, find a private lender to lend you 20% down, find a capital partner, or just live below your means for a little while and save till you have the 20% down (can go higher or lower than 20%, but 20% is generally required for fix&flips & BRRRR loans if not going conventional).

As a broker, I'm always trying to find the best deal for the specific client and property.If you are looking for local private money lenders, your local real estate investment groups might have some leads for you as well.Most institutional private lenders are going to need an appraisal/valuation of the property, and permits to be issued for the construction of the building (if your area requires it). 

I have some knowledge of whole sale real estate and need my contracts reviews to make sure they are up to Idaho standards if anyone can help me with that and also help me find a place that states local laws on wholesaling.