@Brandon Forshaw from speaking as a fellow new investor, my first piece of advice is to invest in a place that you wouldn't hesitate to drive to after work (like within 20 minutes from your home).  

Break it down into more "digestible" pieces.  

Random question:What is it called when someone pieces together a deal on a big apartment complex, gets investors together to purchase it, and they get a share of profits without investing any money? 

Think of a large trucking firm with 500 trucks @ $2,000 a piece. 

from a contractor stand point if you are looking for piece work I would be charging 55$ per hour.

Top-notch journalism per usual, Yahoo and Bloomberg.

Population, employment and education trends are much more important when buying long-term holds than when buying flip properties; when you buy flips, the only important pieces of information are:1. 

But they'll take more time than searching MLS and likely at least some money to obtain and work through the leads.I have two final pieces of advice:1) Contact a hard money lender and see if they will underwrite you a loan for the project.

I am subbing out some of the work and doing other pieces myself.I need to buy materials and wonder where do general contractors get their supplies?

BeyJust put one foot in front of the other, and if you fall down, get back up and keep moving forward.What I found is that the pieces will start to come together as you take action.