I'm still an active buyer in Houston, thoguh it's getting VERY HARD to buy as there is SOOOO much money chasing very few deals so CAP rates have been compressed. 

Dawn is active here on BP as well.  2.

While investment groups are good, I also recommend you also schedule lunch/beer/coffees with a range of active professionals across the spectrum: brokers, title, CPA, small contractor, attorney, etc.  

Do you want to be an active or passive investor?

Welcome to the forum (in a sense), I am new to the forum today, but look forward to being an active member!

Look up RIREIG, they are active in your area, and meet regularly.  

In my experience, it is very difficult to know the character of each neighborhood until you have been active in a market for a while.

For an average single family home, there isn't a ton of difference in what an agent can reasonable do to actively find you buyers.

There are plenty of other parts of town with good schools too - this is just a start.There's also lots of flipping activity ITP, targeting young professionals and married couples with no kids yet.

Then there are annual dues and fees to keep your license active.