Then I paid $25 to some online background check agency to find out if the owner had any other liens/bankruptcies/judgments against them and also got their contact info from there.

Recommend Googling for recent projects, then looking them up at the city's online site to find out who the architects are.

You can also check meetup.com or search Facebook for real estate investment groups, clubs, or meetings in your area.I'm in a small town where networking is impossible, so I do it online through facebook groups and BiggerPockets.

.-- All the info you need is available online from the local assessor, and pay attention to what the local community has tacked on to the mill rate.

So many people out there ,  that have online courses.

You should also invest in a professional real estate photographer and a lock box) You may just decide to go with an agent that can provide professional level photos and an amazing marketing package (including listing exposure in real estate magazines, etc) If you do go with an agent- make sure to ask for their marketing plan for the property as well as a record of their past sales, etc.

There are a lot of online sources out there versus going to the local courthouse.   

In the old days, I would advertise in the Fresno Bee, and in the local freebee advertising rag.Nowadays, everything seems to be going online. 

Courses online are relatively cheap and there's some brokerages like kw that have offered free online courses with no obligation to join afterwards.

From time to time we also hold an online meeting for talking about a specific topic.