Either way, I am willing to jump on a good deal in either market if the right thing comes up. 

You can learn to do this independently or get a rockstar REALTOR to lead the way.

It's always way better to have cash flow than none at all. 

Yes, having tenants pay ACH via a Tenant Portal software is best, but not all will cooperate and some will play games that result in NSF charges.We allow tenants to deposit cash/check/money order directly at our bank into our account.Many Class C & D tenants have challenges adapting to unfamiliar ways to pay and is often not worth the hassle (and possible evictions) to get them to change:(

In order to network with wholesalers and lenders the best way to go about it will be to attend the local REIA like The Greater Houston REIA and also joining the local investors facebook groups. 

Either way, there are a wide range of tax consequences associated with big withdrawals from any of these accounts that can't be ignored.What is Your Current Plan? 

I work a lot with investors outside of the US from a tax perspective but from a mortgage perspective, as mentioned above hard money or DSCR is probably your best bet.

As time goes on, you can build your own list and then you won’t have to give away 50% of your profits, but in the beginning, that is probably the best way to get started.You can also go to a nationwide wholesaler and have them bring you a buyer.

Never built in Houston before so take my feedback with a grain of salt but I'd put money on it being impossible to build a duplex from scratch for $125 a foot (including everything from drawings, engineering, permit fees, general conditions, labor, material, landscaping).Out here in AZ the builder cost is going to be $200 a foot at best, but add 20% on top of that for the client cost.

You can learn to do this independently or get a rockstar REALTOR to lead the way.