I understand this can vary by market but this number has served me well.

The brokerage uses this to pay for lots of stuff office supplies, CRM, insurance, marketing, etc..

I'm wondering if anybody has had any experience with the Maryland market.

Texas had some hurricanes and I have properties (Market value $300K, Roof damages $25K).

You can find some deals on the market, but they are definitely the lowest hanging fruit and always attract a lot of attention.

One of my first orders of business is to start learning how to do market research so...Question- what is the best way for a newcomer to learn to conduct Market Research?

My thought is more about time in the market and getting the snowball started now vs. 10 years from now. 

If you want to network or ask specific questions about your local market, go to your local real estate forum and connect with investors from your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/86-local-real-estate-networking5.

Quote from @Luis De la Puente: In your experience, how do you see private money lenders shaping the real estate market, especially for fix and flip projects?

That's great that you are getting going investing in different markets.