Keep a journal of your mistakes, especially, and your occasional wins (which are likely to be occasional at best, given that this is your first investment). 

In regards to the Houston market you can read the Houston business Journal. 

Houston is the second largest new-home market in the nation.Facebook Adding to Alliance Texas CampusFORT WORTH (Dallas Business Journal) – Facebook is adding two data halls to its $1 billion data center campus in the AllianceTexas development.DPR Construction, which is behind the $1 billion campus, filed two building permits, one for $182.6 million and one for $181.9 million. 

The Springfield Business journal just listed top lenders and oakstar was number 1.  

I'd get the list from the Daily Journal of Commerce, where almost all foreclosures were posted with all the details including arrears and Northwest Trustee in Bellevue would sell me a copy of their foreclosure Prelim for $20.

The general pattern is that 1) the state has an incentive to close beds at the state hospital in order to save money, 2) a new program (usually associated with a university) is written about in the research journals that purports to save money and have great outcomes for the clients 3) the state wants the local mental health agencies to start this program, but the state does not provide the budget to adequately staff and resource the program like the university did 4) the program is instituted with great fanfare and many promises. 

Have you spoken to Hubble Smith from the review journal?

Journal all of your contacts with him and take pictures.

I just saw this on the Wall Street Journal today and had to share.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04032009/watch.html It is good to see this making it to more mainstream media outlets.