You don't always have to use the agent  in buying a deal but there are times, such as when the property you may be interested in is already on the MLS you can use your own trusted agent to help with the deal.  

I have started my search for a real estate agent that will guide me to understand the market of the area that I live in.

Columbus is a nice area to invest in, I hope you have success.  

If I can't wholesale my way in, I will buy a duplex  this Dec and go from there to fixing & flipping.

@Yesun Y. there are a lot on investors here for Indianapolis and I am sure some more will chime in!

Check out http://rosevillemeetup.com for the details.What type of investing are you interested in? 

I am 23 years old and the past year I have been looking for something to invest in.

Hi William, thank you for the compliment but I am not sure it was me since I use a RE agent for the properties I am interested in.

But I do buy a house every now and again, ya know to live in.

The nice thing about buying a house you live in, is you can generally change/sell houses every two years and not have to recognize the gains for tax purposes and you can roll it into the next one.