There can be a ton of things wrong with buying a list too - it's not targeted, and it doesn't give you the corporation sponsor/manager information (the decision maker). 

hello, as a seattle investor i caution you to invest in this market right now if cash flow is your strategy. you will be hard pressed to find anything that cashflows that is in an area that makes sense and has a quality tenant base. you may do good on appreciation over the next year or so, but a correction is looming and seattle is a highly cyclical makers, the highs are  high but the lows are low. also, as stated above many times, seattle is on of the most tenant friendly cities putting an addition burden on investors/landlords.

I also have a full-time job in insurance as a developer to keep a stable income but would eventually love to make real estate my full-time job.

A break such as this is something that you can't always explain why you were chosen but you can always look back and know it was a difference maker. 3000 yellow letters can result in helping my wife out, family, and church out.

Bear in mind that I am list maker who finds great satisfaction in marking off goals/tasks.

It is all about being a deal maker. 

Good contractors make real good money 

Some part time agent doing a couple million in volume who is making a 50% split might not have the same empowerment to make it work either from the numbers or from their brokerI hear ya Russell but then you have a sale fail and they get nothing. also in our market the HIGHEST split in the market is a 75/25 to the broker.. 50/50 went the way of the dodo bird about 25 years ago out west LOL.. that's why a small brokerage out here is not a money maker.. lucky to break even as the owner running 50 agents.. the agents that build big teams and get that 50/50 with the new agent those guys make more than the owners of the shop  all day long.

I am attempting to make real estate my full time thing.

A good way to get to the decision maker is by having an all cash offer ready at a price you think will be attractive to the lender.If you are completely stonewalled by that, and don't know where else to turn, look up the REO listing agents and see what AM their listings are coming from.