Best to have Cashiers checks made out to yourself for multiple amounts(Because they don't make change) I recommend you visit the county's website and look for the Sheriff's dept. 

Some great ideas on lead generation, prospecting and education would be to join forums much like this one, and get involved with local networking clubs using www.meetups.com. 

I’m looking to real estate to secure my retirement and augment my income with hopes that I can build a business to pass on to my children someday.I’m very interested in growing my network around the Denver and Front Range area and would love start getting involved in some of the meet-ups in the area.

@Brian Bistolfo I spent a lot of time on the phone getting to know people and flying out there multiple times to build those strong relationships. 

I did not start similarly to you but I think fundamentally if you find a good deal and have done your networking properly, multiple doors will open for you.

At that point, it's a little more complex than just splitting things 50/50, but you need to do what makes sense to everyone involved. 

I'm in the process of trying to set up multiple avenues of financing in the event i find a deal i can move on it. 

I'm actually not familiar with quiet title; I'm under the impression that it involves going to court and spending a fair amount of money?

Oh and for exam prep, I've been told to take a crash course by multiple realtor friends!

I've learned everything I know involving real estate investing from Bigger Pockets.