The problem with Brookfield is that it does not have enough transactions so there are just not enough deals to allow you to find the diamond in the rough.

That's great to hear @Derek Diamond.

I'm not an attorney but I suspect that by connecting buyer and seller in that scenario and getting a "cut", you are acting as an agent and need to get paid and include your broker accordingly.Another way you could get started is by going to a local real estate group meeting such as RIREIG in Rhode Island or Black Diamond REI in Massachusetts and meeting some early to mid stage investors.The ones you're looking for are the ones who can actually close on a deal (with their own cash or financing they've already lined up), and especially ones who are getting started on their first or second buy-and-hold purchase so they don't need an amazing deal and don't mind getting it off of MLS (often this will be owner occupied but not always).Another variant of this would be newer investors (again, who are actually ready and able to purchase) who need someone to "do comps" for them on prospective purchases.Some newer investors haven't gotten around to becoming agents themselves, or decide not to, but they still need to do comps to determine ARV.

@Mike MahoneyBlack Diamond is a great meetup to attend- Also you can look at meetup .com to find local REIA events in your area ! 

I know I need to get over this part to find those diamond in the rough properties, and I see it in this one. 

I'd recommend going to a local real estate networking group such as the RI Real Estate Investors Group (usually on the 3rd Thursday of each month in Warwick; see rireig.com for more info) or Black Diamond Real Estate Investors in Mass (they meet twice a month; see blackdiamondrealestateinvestors.com) as both are great places to do what you mentioned, network and connect with positive like minded real estate investors.

When you find the diamond in the rough they can give you steady passive income. 

Here are some of the people I would recommend to follow if in case you are still interested in lease options :Joe Mccall (Great System)Joe Crump (Good youtube videos)Chris Goff (Great youtube tutorial)Claude Diamond (Amazing on Phone)Michael Carbonare - Naked Investor

It's wonderful that you're getting started at such a (relatively) early age - the lessons you learn about real estate now will serve you well for the rest of your life.If you're open to house hacking, living in one unit of a multi-family property and renting out the other unit(s), then I think you can learn a lot, especially if you combine it with some of the resources you can find here on BP and in real estate groups near you such as RIREIG and Black Diamond REI.I usually recommend that path (house hacking) to people who don't strongly lean toward something else like rehabbing, just because chances are good you have some experience already as a renter/tenant, so it's a good and natural transition to then provide services to others in the same way.Even if you ultimately, down the road, end up using property managers, you'll still be able to manage those managers a lot better if you have personal experience managing a property or two of your own (and managing those tenants).I hope this helps and again, welcome to Bigger Pockets!

We have always used Black Diamond for our plumbing, sewer, electrical, and HVAC and have been very happy with them.