There are countless books on the topic of REI as well.  

For starters i am on Zillow countless times throughout the day just scanning through homes, paying attention to prices/taxes in different areas.

After listening to countless pod casts I would love to get into wholesaling.

@Martin, all excellent questions; a very understandable quandary, one which is shared by countless others.

Countless times I am contacted by consumers who have paid a contractor in full and have a 98% completed job.

True I have been using Rently for months now out in various parts of los angeles, I am talking DTLA Long Beach, Compton, San Fernando, it has saved me countless hours (not having to be in LA traffic) plus It has helped me save money on MLS commissions and other things too.

So far BP has helped me find and read countless great books about real estate investing.

I had the intention of using a 1031 exchange after selling this house.Numbers: Purchase Price - $40,500Renovation Cost - $40,000Sale Amount - $116,500Time Frame - Under 6 monthsAfter days of research and countless contradicting conclusions, it has come to my attention that because this is a short term sale, the property may be viewed as Inventory as opposed to an Investment, which would then render it ineligible for a 1031.

There are countless brokers, you can also look into Sperry Van Ness, Cushman Wakefield, Marcus Millichap.  

I have answered this question countless times on the forums, but I believe that @Marcel Theisen's answer is the best I have seen in a long time.