I was hoping to find an agent with local knowledge that could steer me in the direction of better, upcoming neighborhoods, good deals or off market properties.

Even though many investors steer away from Condo's/HOA's, I plan to start there.

Jersey City has become very trendy & hip (hipsters running amok) and perhaps steered many into their coffers.  

If you are just looking now finding a good PM in the area can help because they can steer you away from deals that may look good on paper but not in real life.  

Also if you didn’t know “steering” is not only unethical but that agent or agents can lose there license for that maneuver so I doubt that’s the case. 

My current job doesn't offer a match and I haven't been able to contribute to my Roth so this new strange space opened me up to finding the awesome community hereI thought I'd ask for some steering direction from those who have some experience so I can talk to a local professional (Dallas, TX) for the details/next steps.

Make friends with some people in the college and they will steer good tenants to you as well.3) Do some research.

I would review your numbers and make sure you are entering things correctly, or your model is going to steer you the wrong direction. 

When you meet someone in line at a store you are steering the conversation, when you are at a function and meeting people you are networking.

I'm visiting family in Albemarle North Carolina and wanted to know who in the area could steer me in the right direction on potential flips in the area.