EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

Also, as a real estate investor, can I write off 100% of the education travel for real estate, such as the Bigger Pockets Cancun conference?

You seem pretty educated in the field and can likely point out of a deal is good or not given the market conditions. 

REI Live is one meetup group in Sarasota put on by some major players in the area, another local one started up and has a FB group called Suncoast Real Estate Investors that was meeting monthly, there’s another larger one that meets at the Bradenton yacht club for lunch buffet monthly, and one more that meets monthly at a Holiday Inn near Der Dutchman off Bahia Vista.

Thanks for educating me.

FREEdM - Financial + Real Estate Education Meetup (biggerpockets.com)https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedmazI also would recommend HOTREI run by @Travis Shelton He also has his meetups posted here on BP and in his Facebook group.Helping Others Through Real Estate Investing (HOTREI) | FacebookLooking forward to connecting at a future event soon! 

I was in property management in Jackson for about ten years before moving out of state for a career in education.

please tell me how a seller felt they had the legal grounds to sue you, so im educated for the future?

I am interested in investing in real estate in the DFW area (specifically Denton) with creative financing methods, and I am trying to expand my network of players in the game of real estate.

I'm specifically interested in learning how to land a pre-foreclosure deal, but I think I need a structured system for educating myself and have a teacher/mentor for support and to hold me accountable during the process.