MLS was little help when we did our search.

I have searched out another investor to help me but this investor wants to do a debt investment and not an equity partnership.

Yet, after listening to you it almost seems like we should be searching out other deals and getting money from private people as early as possible.Much like you I have a little experience in construction from my college days (working for a contractor on my days off from school and over summers but I'm not a craftsmen), so there is a small advantage there, but ultimately it sounds like if I want to get to that "freedom number" faster, or at least earlier, I'm going to have to figure out how to scale.I'm under no delusions that I am an expert after one deal, but I thought that after doing 2-3 deals and making them successful we would then have the creditably to get loans from others to really acquire some volume. 

I've gotten my first contract two days ago, and is currently in title search. 

As I’ve come to realize while searching for my first deal.  

I tried a google search on this subject and there was a discussion about Rowhouses. 

Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meetSet up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsRead Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingCheck out BP Podcasts: http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/category/podcast/If you wish to tag someone in the conversation on the forum, type @ followed by their name and then select the name of that person which should appear below the comments box.

The big news here is that a class action law suit is going forward against the City of Bedford in the Northern District of Ohio contesting "all homeowners who were forced to endure government searches as a precondition to the sale of their homes are entitled to demand refunds of illegal “Point of Sale” inspection fees".A similar suit has already been adjudicated in the Southern District Courts in favor of prohibiting the practice as a sale requirement.41 communities in Northeast Ohio require some type of POS for title transfer which I'm sure is a source of income the cities don't want to see disappear.

In some cities, it's easy to work with and in others its more difficult.Since you are new to Bigger Pockets, it would help you to know you can search for previous forum discussions about any topic. 

You can broaden your search to real estate investment firms and investment banks, as well PE - that should open some more opportunities.