I have found this site to be a tremendous resource for all things REI.

Note though how this thing has been escalated. 

It is called an escalation clause

I believe I was able to "win" the bidding war for a few reasons:- I had pre-approval of funds ready to go- I pulled the trigger ASAP when I realized it was a deal worth pursuing- I submitted an offer with an Escalation Clause- I submitted my offer with a nice personal touch that was tailored towards the sellerBest of luck!

There is a tremendous amount of free information on their website. 

A good agent with knowledge on this area of the country can help you tremendously, but you should define your goals first so whatever agent you go with can help you better. 

I have 3 children as well which work as tremendous motivation to find deals and keep investing.  

That's a great saying for gurus from the front of the room, not a practice for real life.Congrats on all your successes and your tremendous life lessons.

I've heard before that job and population growth was something to look at but never knew where to find the info at yet so that is of tremendous help.

With no background in real estate, and surprised by the rapid and unreal escalation of real estate prices, he naturally called me all excited to ask what he should do.