They are not going to give you opinions or point out options on what type of rehab might be beneficial to enhance the property or make it more functional.

My husband and I both learned the value of time in very different and beneficial ways.

He's mostly an invest in mutual funds guy like most.  

At the time they bought it, cottage A was rented, and the tenant has been there about 15 years, and it's a happy, mutual agreement to keep her.

@Alex Knight , The RE pro would be beneficial if you have a loss from rentals.

Beneficial owners of a DST are entitled to limitations on personal liability similar to those of a LLC.

Do you think that it would still be beneficial to be a member of that REIA? 

Also, we both have excellent credit  (700 for my wife and 791 for me)How do we write up the offer in a way that is fair and beneficial to the seller/owner as well as in a way that makes financial sense for us as new investors?

Here is some more info on the Fox Valley REIA:http://foxvalleyreia.com/I'm pretty new to the game myself but have found the meetings to be very beneficial. 

My goals are this point are to absorb as much information as possible, network and build mutually beneficial relationships.