I found out during a hurricane a couple years ago that the deductible goes up to a percentage of the home’s value during a named storm, so my gut says I should contact the insurance company.

Should I show them just what the Zillow estimates are for a couple of properties?

If you only have one or a couple homes there's no reason you cant fix it .Believe it or not I finally parked my service truck 2yrs ago.

For example, my wife and I knew a couple who were eager to get into flipping didn't buy smart. 

I would also suggest attending local meetups and REIA meetings as these are a great way to connect with like-minded individuals. 

I have talked to a couple in my area and I'm having trouble finding an attorney that has working knowledge and experience with investors.

With this in mind, you want to try and avoid jumping brokerages too often, so doing your research/interviews initially is important.3) I could be wrong on this end, but I believe builders do want agents that have at least a couple years of experience.

It only takes a couple minutes, we promise." 

I do not attend it but I know there is a real estate group that meets once a month I believe.

I'm learning the fundamentals of Wholesale through reading lots of Books, attending Webinars, listening to podcasts, and now I'm starting to attend local meet ups and local REIA, and of course BP.