@Kevin Romines - All W-2 income, no bonuses, i've had continuous employment for 4 years, my wife for 10. 

Even though the paper loss hurt, I continued to buy during the downturn and have been rewarded quite nicely. 

You are doing the right thing by getting educated.

Continue to save the same amount (may take 1-2 years) and repeat. 2.

Properties will continue to appreciate, but just not as fast/much.

It's always a goal to get to the next step and into escrow and under contract but you should always have some contingency in place that allows you to back out of a deal if needed when you continue ypur due dilligence.Hope this helps!

Not educated in those programs enough to provide further info though.

Our understanding so far is that you need to work for a realty co, and in order to eventually become a broker yourself you need to get some years under your belt and further education. 

(LCPIA is geared towards education more than networking) I would also love to hear any suggestions on how LCPIA could improve.That being said keep me posted on your meetup.  

And most of all, continue to educate yourself, and that will help you see where you need to go and what you need to focus your research on.