As i am new, and understand references are a powerful tool in this industry, I was curious if anyone knew of good investment oriented real estate agents that operate in/ close to my city.

Leads are leads and a lot of them go nowhere.Simply wholesaling as a business model is 1) illegal in most states is your are not a broker 2) predatory if you are not double closing with your own cash (my opinion)That’s great if you are a wholesaler, all the power to you!!

Doing some light research it looked like the TK properties I could afford with my current cash and conventional funding would only cash flow a few hundred dollars a month while consuming all my cash and purchasing power.

. - Relatively less competitive than other areas in Florida so you have more negotiation power for listed and off-market deals.The big thing to keep in mind with Pasco is that there are a lot of sinkholes in that county.

Some are relatively relaxed while others enjoy the power trip.

My wife and I would love to buy something soon and we will need to secure financing to do that, so I'm working with a family friend to figure out what that would look like and what buying power that would give it.  

There will be some that don't want to meet you for coffee, but I found overwhelmingly, they will say yes and give you some great insights about your local market, their view on the industry, people they recommend you talk to, how others got started, etc.Again, the key is being humble and honest. 

WA, central (sunny side) LOLPros- No state income tax, low property taxes (1% ish), cheap power, no floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes or humidity, low crime, good appreciation, good job growth and per capita income. 

I know its not popular with realtors but technology is changing the game and giving the buyer and seller more power when it comes to real estate.

Sites like Buildium / Appfolio are great and powerful, however they start at about $50 per month.