I would scour through these forums on the Arbitrage topics as you can gain more information from these forums alone than what you will be able to garner from a single course.

Having just scoured the whole area for single family homes, I noticed a huge disparity between different areas in terms of property values and rental values. 

I am sending post cards, knocking on homes and scouring the MLS. 

Hello,I have scoured the forums for rent increase posts.

I have been doing lots of research on real estate investing this year, reading many books, watching videos, listening to podcasts, and scouring bigger pockets for information.

There have to be thousands of experienced operators scouring the planet for opportunities to buy low and create an outsized cash flow the STR biz.  

Make sure to do an in depth analysis  for past 5 years of the neighborhood as to how many appreciated and do a comp with the one you are trying to buyHave a strategy to do Value add example kitchen remodeling , have  good references for contractorsAttend a  REI meetup in that area and also scour Facebook groupsHave an exit strategy in place in case things go slightly south

I have also scoured the internet like most of our legitimate real estate professionals and they are nothing but a dime a dozen and all feed off each other.  

I've been scouring the inter-webs for duplexes, but it doesn't seem like that's really a THING in North Dallas.

Some mentees will act as a bloodhound for the mentor, knocking on doors, driving for dollars, scouring the internet, making cold calls, or performing other services that help the mentor find new deals.