Are there any similar tips you all have picked up on this topic?

@Brooks McLean pick some criteria for what types of properties you would like to invest in and find a realtor to set you up with some automatic alerts of properties that fit your criteria when they come on the market.

You picked a great network to plug into.

You will learn on the way, pick up VELOCITY - the only thing that folds compounded gains and time. 

Can you give me your contact email and would love to discuss more about this and pick your brain.

I haven't picked a broker yet but have started researching and interviewing them.

So that your every day clown doesn't just pick it up.The more people that think like you, the more success people like me will have.That my friends, is a fact!

After that book I picked up the book on rental property investing by Brandon Turner, which I am currently reading and lead me to this awesome website/community.       

Is there anyway around this through partnerships or picking up a side-job?

Real estate books are a dime a dozen...one book is hard to pick, but don't pass up the E-Myth Revisited...but get the audio book and play at 2x speed...the author sounds like he could die at any moment...still a good read ;) Good luck!