To a degree I lucked into the 2 buildings so my biggest question is the title.

Attend your local REI meetups to build up a strong network and feel free to reach out and connect with everyone in the community.

For example, I'm not too sure about how to actually find good deals/distressed properties, and how to actually find appropriate property managers, CPAs, lawyers, etc.I think once I get started and inertia starts to build up, things will make more sense, but it's that first step that I'm finding difficult. 

Annual increases in keeping with HUD's fair market rents build in a stable increase in revenue.Regular inspections from the local agency provides us with an excuse to get into the units to check for maintenance issues that often go unreported and cause more damage.We love the model.

You can find one list on the Neighborhood Building Owner's Alliance website.

Forced appreciation, appreciation, tax savings, principal paydown and (the most valuable in my opinion) experience. 

Is building a second floor too complicated? 

There are a lot of excellent operators/syndicators out there that you can build a great long term relationship with, not only the popular groups that are sometimes more focused on education or selling coaching.

He's able to charge a good bit of money per unit since it's a unique experience, and they should be relatively cheap to build once you have the land. 

Everyone has their our ways of building wealth.