I belong to one and the advice that I get is IMMENSE!  

I know one wholesaler who learned from wholesalers in others areas (perhaps from Bigger Pockets), specifically New York City, that in Houston the acquisition cost per house is multiple times more expensive in Houston due to the immense competition.  

Parroting, "Get a local attorney" is not.I for one have benefitted immensely by what others have written on these boards so that I at least had some background and knew at least some questions to ask before consulting with a local professional (be it an attorney, contractor, etc.) on certain issues, which proved to be invaluable to me.  

I'm a full time investor and agent in the area, and BP has helped me out immensely.

A small caveat, I am on site every day for a good portion of the day which helps immensely in the process, if you are hands off it could lead to a longer process.  

Granted, I only speak from personal experience in purchasing short sale, of all the short sale opportunities I have encountered, I have only captured 2 maybe 3, all of them took an immense amount of time and I thought they would never happen.

I too have found the podcasts immensely useful, and the books too.  

However many of the guides on here have helped me immensely, and I went under contract on my first property last week. 

Expensive legal counsel helps immensely of course.Although, there is still a school of thought that only the actual moving of dirt creates inventory and recording a plat is simply codifying best and highest use.  

I am glad you found BP because you are already contributing immensely.