@Sharron Menninger Just did some quick research and it looks like the sprinkler system costs about $7,000/unit  and fire alarm system about $2,150/unit.The source was mass.gov so it should be pretty reliable and you can find the link here.Hope that helps! 

Some off the top of my head: - relationships - talk to lawyers, accountants, title companies, vendors (HVAC, carpet installers), and, of course, real estate agents and brokers - go to the courthouse and visit eviction court - those landlords might be more likely to sell vs someone who isn't have to go through the eviction process with their tenant/s - direct mail to the owner - drive around neighborhoods, identify distressed homes, look up owners and reach out - tell people you know locally you'll pay a bird-dog fee if they send you a deal that you close on - get on wholesaler lists - also, in my BP podcast interview, I tell a story of how I bought a $30M portfolio in a hot market and how you can apply those same learnings for any deal size In general, you'll want to have at least 3 reliable ways that are consistently sending you deals.

So perhaps having a strong reliable stream of passive income coming in and being an expert in that particular area to mitigate the risks is most appropriate.I'm at the very tail end of my military obligation, so the first and most immediate goal is to develop some human capital so I can have a good primary source of income and then grow from there.

Should I reach out to someone local for assistance or keep scraping the internet for a reliable company?

If you're handy or have friends who are (and are very reliable), maybe consider doing a house hacking flip.Consider the barriers you perceive to your entry into the market and what work arounds there might be. 

Looking for a reasonable and reliable flooring contractor in NH. 

To do this we need a network of reliable contractors that can keep up with the demand we create for them.

It is hard enough to find someone semi-reliable to get his construction task done under $50 an hour in the area.

Now that I have my finance degree, and tons of carpentry and labor oriented work under my belt, I started looking for small reliable real estate companies to apply to.

I have a new property under contract in Cumberland, MD and I need a reliable contractor available this week to walk the site with me.