@Seth C.I'm not sure if you are referring to single family/small multifamily turnkey properties in your first post or are referring to large mulitfamily properties that are already stabilized.  

One person had lived there five years and someone still referred to her as "non-resident". 

My biggest mistake initially was thinking that business would find me or that my SOI would refer enough business to me to keep me afloat.

How can I book mark this page of resources for future reference?

NoOhio Revised Code4735.01 Real estate broker definitions.As used in this chapter:(A) "Real estate broker" includes any person, partnership, association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or corporation, foreign or domestic, who for another, whether pursuant to a power of attorney or otherwise, and who for a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration, or with the intention, or in the expectation, or upon the promise of receiving or collecting a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration does any of the following:(1) Sells, exchanges, purchases, rents, or leases, or negotiates the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of any real estate;(2) Offers, attempts, or agrees to negotiate the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of any real estate;(3) Lists, or offers, attempts, or agrees to list, or auctions, or offers, attempts, or agrees to auction, any real estate;(4) Buys or offers to buy, sells or offers to sell, or otherwise deals in options on real estate;(5) Operates, manages, or rents, or offers or attempts to operate, manage, or rent, other than as custodian, caretaker, or janitor, any building or portions of buildings to the public as tenants;(6) Advertises or holds self out as engaged in the business of selling, exchanging, purchasing, renting, or leasing real estate;(7) Directs or assists in the procuring of prospects or the negotiation of any transaction, other than mortgage financing, which does or is calculated to result in the sale, exchange, leasing, or renting of any real estate;(8) Is engaged in the business of charging an advance fee or contracting for collection of a fee in connection with any contract whereby the broker undertakes primarily to promote the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of real estate through its listing in a publication issued primarily for such purpose, or for referral of information concerning such real estate to brokers, or both, except that this division does not apply to a publisher of listings or compilations of sales of real estate by their owners;(9) Collects rental information for purposes of referring prospective tenants to rental units or locations of such units and charges the prospective tenants a fee.

Also, if you have a seller call you but is just not quite motivated enough for wholesale, refer them to your realtor.

First off, I am brand new to real estate investing...in what I have heard referred to as information overload or analysis paralysis.

Unless there is another reason that you wouldn't rent to them (ie; bad credit, poor references, smoking, etc) and you can PROVE that is why they were denied, then you have to consider them as prospective tenants.

How to find them apart from getting reference from realtor?

http://petriestocking.com/blog/landlord-tenantHere's a link to his EXCELLENT landlord blog too and he's good about answering emails, so I'm sure if you email him he'll let you know if he is qualified to help and if not, my ipression having talked with him multiple times is that then he'd refer you to whoever you should call and not just take the biz he's not well versed in, he strikes me as a very honest and principled man.