Great intro @Melani Pratt, welcome to the site.One word of wisdom though: the first deal is not the hardest... that distinction is for the second one.Then once you have the second one, it's the third one.

I got the distinct impression from several of them that they thought they may be getting scammed. 

The only time there is a distinction is financing.

I've never had a partner and I'm curious to know if there's a distinct role that partners take in REI situations. 

thanks @Chris Tan, i just wanted to make the distinction, wasn't sure if it made a difference.It just seems like an easy way to fund a purchase without having to deal with lenders (private, hard, banks) and without having to use cash.Thanks!

Being that I live and invest in Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN, I have made it my duty to spread the importance of this distinction because I run into far too many out of state investors that associate ALL of ND and it's RE markets with the success of the Western ND oil industry.

San Diego has some very distinct neighborhood boundaries that aren't apparent if you aren't intimately familiar with the area.  

These businesses provided educational return, they got me reading books, but ultimately I failed in terms of finding personal and financial reward through them.Approximately 6 months after my realization, my wife and I were sitting in bed and I was reading the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”.I remember distinctly, putting the book down and asking my wife “how would you feel about us selling our house and buying 2?”.

Then, factor in your knowledge of probate law and process in your state and you gave a distinct advantage of how to be helpful to the prospective admin or other PR as seller. 

You are never too old to get involved in real estate, and being young will give you a distinct advantage for the long run.If you have only read Robert Kiyosaki's initial book, I recommend you look at the rest of his books and books by other authors in the Rich Dad series of books.