It's like any other skill, collections is an art form like sales.

We were required to "clean" our rooms and we had very sporadic inspections (it was an art school).

@Art Scott is right on the money. 

Lending is both a science and a dangerous art where you can lose it all.

You could spend hours crafting a work of art, the “Mona Lisa of RE websites”, or spend an hour or two throwing up a decent looking site.

Books, start with: Set for Life, Rich dad poor dad, The Millionaire real estate investor.Then: building wealth one house at a time, the book on rental propery investing, cashflow quadrant, millioinaire next door.Podcasts: BP real estate podcast, on the market, zen and the art of RE investing, BP Money, millionaires unveiled.If you read 2 books a month and listen to pods on your commutes and walk for 6 months, then analyse 1 deal per day in an accessible market you'll be well on your way and ready to go by Q1 2024!

The areas in Dallas I'm primarily looking at are Bishop Arts, Old East Dallas, South Dallas, Trinity Grove.

This is guesswork - an art, not a science.

You may be able to get some deals in Bishop Arts district in Dallas if you’re willing to do a rehab.

As an alumni of the art school there, I can say it’s only going to grow in population but probably not in equity.