I ended up finding bigger pockets through google and I immediately read the beginner's guide to real estate investing.

One book I enjoyed tremendously was the master guide to income property brokerage, helps get your analyzing deals the right way

I would also participate in the forums as much as possible, read the BP Beginner's Guide, and other real estate books.

Property Inspectors go to ASHI.org locate one certified.Check out the Start Here page http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthereCheck out BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginner's Guide - A fantastic free book that walks through many of the key topics of real estate investing.Check out the free BiggerPockets Podcast - A weekly podcast with interviews and a ton of great advice.

There are tons of useful info and discussions on this website, and there are a lot of knowledgeable and cool people from Texas that post here regularly.I highly recommend checking out the podcasts and the Ultimate Beginner's Guide - dig right inGood luck!

Sorry, vague questions get vague answers but if you align yourself with the right people to guide you it will give you much better odds of making decisions that are wise ones.

@James Syed - I would check out the Free Beginner's guide that Brandon and Josh wrote at http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investing which might start answering some of your questions.

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing and the BiggerPockets Podcast to help you get moving in the right direction!

Be sure to read through The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing to help you get started.Also - be sure to check out House Flipping: The Best of BiggerPockets.

I am reading the Ultimate Beginner's Guide, listening to blogs, etc. and enjoying it immensely.