I din't have enough capital to start on my own, so I partnered up and did a few joint ventures, sprinkled in some seller financing, and then syndicated a couple of deals, only to return to joint ventures.Pick a strategy, then a market, then start to network with all the brokers in the market. $400k is plenty to get started.Gino

Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Attending these events are REALLY important (I can find my first mentor, network, collect business cards, etc), but I'm held back by my situation. - What is the optimal way to fund my first deal?

@Vin Gupta Insurance is an issue state wide, not just Orlando.

Select a larger area that is at least 30 minutes in each direction. with maybe a hand full of exceptions I am pretty sure you would be hard pressed to find a mix that represents the demographic cross section of this country and therefor a wide range of neighborhoods.

Ive started getting some momentum making contact and landing deals from our skip data , but one thing that needs to improve is my Buyers List looking to build buyers list in Houston, Tx any investors looking to network in the area or anywhere ! 

@Joshua DunlapTo make a successful investment property purchase in Texas, set clear investment criteria, choose a suitable strategy, get pre-approved for financing early, build a strong local network, start small for your first investment, plan for worst-case scenarios, and work with a knowledgeable real estate agent.

@Ivan WudexiRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

David,I am over in Saint Petersburg so I wanted to reach and offer some help and see if we could Network. 

Networking can help you find potential borrowers and investment opportunities.