Public works guys will talk your ear off all daay if you strike the right tone and know cities well.About your remark that "with enough research and knowing enough people in the area you can have all the information on a property as if it was in your own backyard". 

If one does a deeper dive one sees that some locations performed very well and then other locations did poorly. 78741 which is the riverside/oltorf quandrant did remarkably well with a 22.5% yoy result.

You are probably about to get a lot of comments and welcoming remarks.

You need access to the MLS so you can see the agent only remarks, showing information,  list properties, use "Zip Forms" transaction management to have access to all of the CAR forms so you can conduct transactions/e-signature, etc. 

That's remarkable for any age, but at 19?

I like Dave Ramsey, and I follow many of his recommendations very carefully in my personal life.I suspect the easiest explanation for the occasional disparaging remarks about him here and elsewhere, @Brian Ellis, is that there's a lot of wishful thinking in REI. 

Your friend has definitely built something remarkable and is obviously a sophisticated investor which I don't want to discredit at all.

Time is money, and getting into a property quickly can make the difference in getting or losing out on a deal.Being able to read realtor remarks in the MLS, run sold and rental comps more efficiently, earn commissions or waive them as part of sweetening an offer to a seller, and save on seller-side commissions while selling are other big advantages as well.

@Ryan Kelly it's so true on those listing remarks.  

Provide some well thought out remarks with proof.