These "bandit" signs are everywhere in NYC and I have yet to ever come across someone who has called them to actually sell their property - most people I know have looked up something online and landed on an option through that route. 

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.

And once the houses are up, are prices going to come down as new units come online but homebuyers pool increases continuously while they all have $25k?

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.

So many people out there ,  that have online courses.

Treat the customer with respect, provide safe and desirable products,   purchased at the right price and condition, provide quality management  and anyone can be successful no matter what the product or market.  

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.