During my project, I had contractors work on the home (which I tracked their hours) and I definitely have more hours spent on the project than they do but my question is in regards to when the "12 month time period" actually begins. i.e.

I worked out there for a couple months and know the area decently well.

home depot and lowes is a great way to start . amazon is awesome from small to large items and sometimes have sales . some of the contractors you work with will also be able to source materials from their established relationships of suppliers .

I work with plenty of out-of-state investors who are seeing great success here in Ohio.Read this article on the "core 4".

I paid the lot rent ($550)for 2 yrs on an empty house when I could have been collecting rentDid you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

That will allow areas outside of the slab to be less affected and limit the required work to place the pads on even ground. 

Right now I’m trying to decided if I want to work as a property locator or in residential sales.

Buying existing rentals and improving it is another story. typically I'd agree but we build a stacked triplex that does very well with build cost around 380k and rent at 5k a month. value is about 600k I think you need to build multiple dwelling units in the same building for the numbers to work

Would really like any insights you all may have on the potential (if you have worked in them) in these markets and if you feel there is opportunity in all 4 stages of our strategy in that city. 

I work with investors in the Pittsburgh area and would love to connect!