Narrow down what you think your perfect house would look like (from a number's perspective) and then get in touch with people who can help you find deals.

Saying "special needs" is a very broadly defined population to serve, I suggest you narrow down the specific population you want to serve and then research very carefully  the following areas:What is the public perception of that population?

You may find it beneficial to start attending some.I think your search would attract more viewers if you narrowed your search to specific cash-flowing areas that peeked your interest.Example - I am looking to invest in Las Vegas, Nevada or Akron, Ohio.The reason for this is because many agents, investors etc have keyword alerts for those specific keywords.

They have tons of great research.Also, try to narrow your search to a few areas and then go very deep with talking to people in those areas.For instance, the southeast, texas and west generally have great population and job growth.

KJ Miller that 800-950 is a wide range I’d narrow that down to 50 bucks range.

They even have several off-the-shelf designs that fit the narrower & deeper lots you often find in the area. 

I have been interviewing companies and have narrowed down a few.

I know that's a big range, but there are just too many variables to narrow it down further.The city of Petaluma might have a say in this too...if you do this with permits (if they'll even allow it) they might charge you some pretty big fees, so you might want to find out before you do anything.

When you do so, you will usually start to see a fairly narrow range of price per square foot. 

I should narrow these deals down, negotiate the best terms on one (or two) and get it fixed and rented before moving on.It's tough being a newbie... it's like being a kid in a candy store with so many options in the real estate world.