I've done cash-out refis from one house to buy another, and also done HELOCs on rental houses to establish lines of credit for purchases. 

Once you establish a relationship with them, you may be able to get 100% purchase price.Do some research here on BP about carrying costs, loans etc to get an idea of the costs and requirementsJust my two cents

As an agent, do you work with investors and as a beginner would you recommend an agent be of primary importance or a person that becomes more helpful after becoming more established?

I thought about marketing online, but a quick search pulled up several established home buyers in my area.

Local knowledge can be vital, and vaguely similarly described comps can be very misleading when trying to establish what a particular property is REALLY worth.How much capital expenditure will be soon required in order to keep it habitable?

My first suggestion is to establish a goal, do you want to have a turn-key to obtain your passive income?  

From an outsider's perspective I'd say that you should keep your 9-5 for a while longer while you get established as an agent.

An area that's already established or one that is on the rise? 

Absolutely, there are a bunch of real estate plays that don't require much money or good credit:Become a lead finder ("bird dog") for a well-established investor or wholesaler in your area.

Hello @Scott Schaeffer in BP.I'm not a legal or tax advisor, however based on my experience, the savvy investors usually establish an LLC partnership with a 2% member that is also an LLC taxed as a C-corp.