Another suggestion is to set up a bunch of keywords and use the search engine religiously on this website and you will learn a TON!

My personal belief is that newbies are especially vulnerable to these types of programs and seminars.  

@Dorian JonesIts great to have large goals, limiting beliefs can destroy you !

The seller does not have an immediate financial need but my belief is that he wants higher earnest money only for the sake of peace of mind.Does anyone have any recommendations on how I could get the seller comfortable with the lower price and the later closing date so I can get the loan?

Because of religious reasons,  he cannot accept interest.

If you want to invest in Rochester then I would religiously follow the MLS so you get an understanding of pricing. 

But after months of taking a back seat, listening to the BiggerPockets podcast religiously, reading countless books, and digesting every piece of information the blog posts had to offer, here is my formal introduction.My name is Juan Medina.

I also STRONGLY recommend that you start attending your local REI meetings religiously! 

So what I'd love to know is how you increase your own belief in what you are capable of accomplishing.  

It gave hope and belief to me, for sure.And, I think it's really worth mentioning that this was essentially before home computers and the Internet were ubiquitous (well, I didn't have either at the time), so it's not like you could just watch the latest YouTube video to glean all of this information.In the end, people are unnecessarily harsh.