Also, where I invest, anybody can go online, enter a property address, and then see the latest water charge for that property.So, if I were you, first I will check if you can also find out your water usage and cost on your county's website.

I'd do my research for property management for your own knowledge by going online, checking references and getting on the phone with the company and make sure they understand your needs and exactly what you're looking to get out of an investment.

Is there any way a tenant can pay online?

Just like you, I’m learning all I can and practicing analyzing deals that I find on Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, etc.

You can find a summary of Rich Dad online and read that.

You can also check their reviews online at Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

If you need more ways to find motivated sellers and properties, I wrote a few BiggerPockets blog posts about finding them online, offline, and through relationships, that you might find helpful:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8814/72016-55-resources-to-find-real-estate-deals-onlinehttps://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8814/71506-27-ways-to-find-off-market-and-wholesale-real-estate-deals-offlinehttps://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8814/72664-35-relationships-to-help-you-find-more-houses-to-flip-or-wholesaleInterested to hear how you’ve been, in terms of the cold calls and D4D since you started. 

Someone familiar with the area and flood plain maps should be able to compare the maps and various online resources (google earth) and have a pretty good idea if it is in or out. 

Zillow stock sinks on company's plan to start flipping homes https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/topstocks/zillow-s...Zillow shares closed 6.5 percent lower Friday after the online real estate database company announced it will begin buying and selling homes, a capital-intensive endeavor.

The main takeaway I have gained after reflecting on last summer is that 1) chasing money alone will not work in this business, and 2) that it cannot be done alone, instantly just like that, just after reading a few books or taking an online course.