I'm very interested in networking with other players in the area and getting my venture off the ground.

I mean chess is easy  but the level of players varies considerably.  

I used to play high stakes poker and it was amazing how many players threw in a winning hand because I raised and acted as if I were going to keep raising until the cows came home and all of a sudden they were thinking they were going to lose.

Go see the property you're thinking about buying, then go see another 10, spend some time in the neighborhoods, buy your proposed property manager lunch and then go buy a couple other local players lunch.  

When you make the CD be sure to make it with a format that's compatible with your CD player. 

You'll see who the players are and get a handle on the average of properties that are up for auction but not sold.

And investing on your own can't hurt, obviously, but institutional players tend to want people with institutional mindsets, which is why it's good to get a degree that institutions will respect.Several years ago, when I was thinking about changing jobs from law to real estate, I sat down with a college friend whose family owns one of the world's biggest development firms.  

There are so many bad players, always has been, just like some car dealers.

Find the players in the market and only deal with them.

You May have been to a Guru seminar if..........You believe brokers will continually submit deals to you although you have no capitalYou believe lenders look at the property ONLY when considering whether to lend you money, so that your multiple bankruptcies, credit score of 490, and $80,000 in credit card debt won't matterYou think that commercial real estate sellers will accept post dated checks for $100 as sufficent earnest money.You believe no seller is sharp enough to see through the numerous “weasel” clauses you put into your purchase contractsYou are persuaded that the only difference between a $1000 transaction and a $1,000,000 transaction are the amount of 0'sYou believe everyone who critsizes your plan is jealeous and wants to see you failYou believe that 20 years of hands on experience, a four year college degree in real estate and yearly mandatory education seminars can be trumped by the “intense training” 3 day seminar you just paid $7000 for.You believe that the $7000 you just borrowed on your newly increased credit line to pay for that seminar is an “investment”You can't believe people actually wasted $80,000 and four years of their life learning “useless” information in collegeYou believe assembling your real estate “team” is your key to success and a necessary first stepYou believe you can actually contract with the best “players” in the industry although you have no experience, capital, or track recordYou believe that once you find the deal that fits the formula money will come to youYou believe that your Guru has provided you with exclusive information on how to find “bargain” dealsYou believe one in a life time “steals” are an everyday occuranceYou believe you can be successful working “the system” on just weekends and holidaysYou believe the Guru got rich by actually doing real estate deals rather than by using a slick promotional sales and training systemYou believe the personnel provided to assist you are actually real estate investors who actually have experience and knowledge and aren't just some failed salesman reading from a scriptYou believe you're the first person to think of using BiggerPockets as your source of wholesale leads or to build a buyer listYou believe wholesaling is investingYou think the term is “whole selling” not wholesaling.