My materials come from distributors that don't sell to the public.

Agree Google nmls - funny on Facebook where 99% of private lending groups that are public are scam artists you get the "well license isn't required"I reply to this noting that while you are correct in some states - chances of a scammer with a nmls license are less than 1% while those without is 99% on sociale media 

It is very easy to save money working in public accounting.I forgot what my dinner allowance was working at the big four 5 years ago in a major city(I think it was like $20?)

That is often a matter of opinion and will depend on the attitude of your municipality.Most municipalities do not require neighborhood approval, but will offer the public opportunities to provide input which will be considered.

and the property had a private dwelling value appraisal much higher than the public property appraiser claims. 

I want to become really good at analyzing deals, and determine the markets I should focus on.Are there any resources aside from this forum (books, journals, news publications, podcasts) that you recommend I use to learn more?

Network in person, see if they have a publication where you can post your deals and what you are looking for, and if there is a larger annual conference for investors locally consider getting a vendor table to talk about your business and what you are looking for.

Quote from @Ryan Konen: You are correct that comping software like Privy, Propwire, and Propstream primarily rely on public records for their data, such as county assessor records, MLS feeds, and sometimes 3rd party aggregators.

We do want to settle in a little bit here while continuing to do our homework, but hope to get into something in the next 6-12 months.With the way interest rates are looking now and what little I see on public listings, I think a smaller multi-family that needs a little rehab would be the best bet. 

Either comment here or message me if you would rather not share publicly!