This is not a jaded post :-)My deals, even my nightmare rehab, worked out very well.Sometimes you don't know what you're getting until you hire someone.  

youre the boss of your project and you need to hire all the right people to get you where you want to go. 

They will come out for a consultation, and you can either hire them to do the work that they recommend, or just pay for their ideas and implement yourself.

I ended up hiring a concrete company to cut out 6" of concrete around the entire perimeter, install drain tile and a sump pump on the other side.

Will you be “on site” because it’s part of what motivates you, or will you be a virtual investor or business owner?

I'm a local investor and would be happy to connect with you virtually and see if I can be of any assistance in your journey.  

If your not sure how to do it, then I would recommend hiring someone cheap to build the spreadsheet for you.

If that property passes a rigorous due diligence process and you choose to pursue it, I think, as a new investor, your best strategy is to figure out if it would be possible to buy the 2 acres with the duplexes and sell the other 8 acres.You can get up to speed on handling those or hire a PM a whole lot faster than you can figure out how to develop raw land. 

I will likely hire a property manager, at least initially, because I won't be local and available to respond to tenants' problems. 

Not saying they would win, since Muni Water districts would be ultimate defendant but landlords always get named and are forced to hire legal.