man... i have been studying, listening to EVERY single bigger pockets podcast, read Brandon's books and i have annoyed most of my friends by just talking about Real Estate and how much it just MAKES SENSE but i cannot ( i hate using that word) figure out a way to purchase my own property.

The main reservation I have about the SCU grads is that they likely don't have an established employment history; I already know they were at different rentals every year during their studies (which is common for college students, including myself back then).But no matter, I'll collect data from all applicants and pick the one that looks and feels best (as @Kelly N. and others have suggested)

In college I studied Civil/Structural Engineering, and began working on fix and flips with family members when I graduated.  

Market Studies - $1500 and up9.

Additionally, clients want you to be knowledgable about the area, and there is some knowledge you just can't get form just doing a desk study of the market.  

You would be hard pressed to find properties in the 60 sq ft range which  are in your own backyard There is nothing like mining your own neighborhood and investing for both cash flow and appreciation Study you local market and I be you will find both types of properties that would be much less of a gamble then venturing into the unknown 

So based on studies of what is/isn't a hazard they've decided what they prefer for those areas. 

Meet as many people as you can and study up on the different strategies until you find what works best for you and your goals.Good Luck getting started.

According to a NAHB, National association of Home Builders:14 millions households were purchased between 2011 and 2013.11% purchased brand new homes.43% were purchasing their first home.Median age of buyer was 32 years old with income of about $62,000Median age of new home buyers was 40 years with income of about $85,000Median value of homes was $168,000.The median buyer looked at 10 houses before buying.11% bought using cash or zero down financing17% used proceeds from sale of existing house to buy.Full study is at:http://www.nahbclassic.org/generic.aspx?

There are other places in Texas where you could fare better than Austin (San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas are all hot markets but have lots of opportunity) Also, the MLS will be the most difficult place to find deals, so you might consider looking into and studying other strategies (wholesale leads, FSBO, probate, etc)