Especially the dark roast.

We all know we can keep thinking about what we want to do but putting it into action is an entire other ball game.What are your top 3 actionable items for a complete beginner who feels lost in the sense of being in a small town and no really local groups where one can shadow or work with?

I'd say the best place to go for education is a local meet up and shadow someone.

Sometimes our short term wants can shadow what our ultimate goal is. 

If it's an (A) location you do not need 1.5 years especially to land a franchisee restaurant tenant.When I look at a property I look at the current value, the dark value, and the re-potential value.Lot of commercial developers sell off marginal tenants at market rents.Example me buying a Wal-mart with 10 plus years left at a 7 cap is way different than trampoline or workout place at a 9 cap.On its face the 9 cap may be appealing but then you find out for that box size the crap tenant is paying 1 dollar below what national tenants pay.

I'm going to go with a dark horse and say Minneapolis-St Paul. 

Think about it: back in 2006, Zillow introduced the Zestimate, and it was like someone had finally lit a lamp in a dark room.

Otherwise, you're pretty much stabbing in the dark and it's a terrible time suck! 

For example, in NC the only dark blue areas are the largest counties in the state, even though Brunswick (Wilmington NC) and Pender Counties are growing faster as a percentage of population increase.

The best thing you can do for yourself (and most brokerages may actually require this, I'm sure it varies by state), is to shadow another agent and put yourself in a position where you can learn as an assistant.