Shoot me and pm - I have two valuation excel spreadsheets and a few RE valuation tools we use in lending ((for cap rates))....all that is free.Start tagging new transactions in keywords.....or just Tacoma...and  you will get a bird's eye on a 1000 deals a month right on this site and see the responses and the wisdom as they each newby runs into issues and opportunities. 

@Rick C. those sound reasonable if the agent is bird dogging for me.    

Should I just go for a bird-dog fee and hand it all off to someone else?

We are trust worthy and reliable and I am only interested in working with trust worthy and reliable property locators/ Bird dogs.

He has consistently bought one property a year.Get established with a local REIA (Real Estate Investors Association) and network for a seller finance or potential partnership where you bird dog a deal and have someone bring in capital that doesn't want to manage it (some skin in the game will always help get someone else off the sidelines and bring them to your deal.If you have solid credit call local banks/credit unions.  

I have a desire to get started but not large amounts of capital at my disposal I have a few questions;1) is there a market for people to be a bird dog for property investors in my market area (near Boston)2) I've heard a real estate license is recommended but I'm not sure if it's required for this type of business structure. 3) does anyone have recommendations for business plan software to get started?

One deals with just basic stuff like plumbing or odd jobs if I'm not available, the other does appliances and anything where I want a half decent job.Then you have your contractors, AC company, plumber, electrician.

Birds of a feather flock together, the other wholesalers you know probably have the same insight and lack of understanding.Wholesalers are absolutely convinced that they are helping owners, convinced themselves (cognitive bias)  and convince owners as well, while taking more from them than what the  actual services are worth.

In our state (NC) the “standard” Offer To Purchase and Contract form (NC Bar 2-T) supports seller financing via line 1(d) entitled BY SELLER FINANCING and the accompanying Loan Assumption Addendum Note though that virtually no NC brokers will entertain a lease with option to purchase deal because the old “standard” form for this kind of transaction is no longer available from the NC Bar, NC REC, or NCAR.

So pretty much I'm playing the role as there bird dog.