Once I get home, i will have a clearer picture of the entire situation since it is a little difficult to grasp it due to commitments here. 

I have been doing a lot of market research and feel I have a good enough grasp of the numbers at this point to try to negotiate myself into a deal this way... hopefully avoiding the ridiculous bidding you mentioned. 

For a condo/townhouse with limited parking, I can maybe grasp interior and garage stipulations.

So the past year I’ve been looking at these properties trying to get a better grasp on my market.

They will have a better grasp on the market than a realtor in terms of how these properties perform.When calculating expenses make sure to account for property management, electric, water, gas, cable, internet, cleaning, lawn maintenance, propane refills, toilet paper, paper towels, coffee, shampoo, etc.

If you could get a good grasp of how each role contributes to the end goal then you could relate how your skills, knowledge, and experience from your previous ventures can provide value to the team.

The last thing, you should join a team first before going off onto your own (possible one that works with a lot of investors), I did not and wish that I did because it would expedited my experience and grasp of what an agent is to do on a weekly, monthly and yearly routine.

I personally analyzed 90-100 properties before buying my first just to be sure I had a grasp of how to do it.

Any help with understanding where to even begin learning about this and getting a grasp on how it works, how to learn the numbers, etc. 

I looked primarily and Hunter/ Windham, Shandaken area, and don’t have the best grasp of the western Catskills region (or the rest of the state for that matter).