@Richard Benjamin WilhiteRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Will I get return on my investment for something like that?

If your plans are to buy the land, build an investment property and your friend run/manage it.

He must, as we all do, maximize the return on his time and that’s where the misalignment of financial interest kicks in. 

For those who have or had section 8 investments (especially in my market) how would you describe your experience?

Is a Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund just an investment fund like buying mutual funds etc?  

What realistically can be achieved if one starts lean and mean, with couple of thousands of dollars to invest in marketing and pick up as things move forward?  

Unlike you I bought it as an investment property and started renting it out from the beginning.

Investment Info:Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

With you having taken the program, do you think the courses were built based on someone who already have knowledge in real estate or someone like me whose only knowledge in CRE are based on Forums, Youtube, free crash courses on financial modeling, and internet searches.