Or sometimes social media will be a place to look, people usually complain about that stuff on local forums.

You take into account the income tax deduction for the deductible part of self­employment tax and the deduction for contributions to the plan made on your behalf when figuring net earnings.Earned income includes amounts received for services by self­employed members of rec­ognized religious sects opposed to social se­curity benefits who are exempt from self­em­ployment tax.If you have more than one business, but only one has a retirement plan, only the earned income from that business is considered for that plan.Also, the general purpose of  a solo 401k is to grow your nest egg; therefore, when a solo 401k is invested in real estate, all the earnings such as rental income and  proceeds from the sale will flow back into the 401(k) and grow tax-deferred in the case of pretax funds.

great idea.some social capital can go a long way

I'd focus on finding agent(s) based on business, not social, referrals.

I had been reading different blog posts that I would come across online from the website, but now thanks to a friend I wanted to become apart of the social media group specifically for investors that I could network with.

And get referrals from agents.You can use bandit signs - We buy HousesYou can develop a marketing campaign with print and PPC on the net and social media.You can drive for dollars.Here are others.Place a newspaper ad (major daily)Place an ad in Pennysaver, Thrifty Nickel, Greensheet, etc.Bandit signsDrive neighborhoods looking for vacant houses and FSBO'sCall FSBO adsSearch MLS for junker propertiesSearch MLS for expired listingsContact landlords who are evicting a tenantContact landlords with properties for rentPre-foreclosuresForeclosure auctionsREO'sHUD & VA housesTax salesEstate salesProperties with outstanding building code violationsProperties with outstanding health code violationsCondemned propertiesFire damaged propertiesOut of area ownersNetwork with professionals, i.e. attorney, CPA, REALTOR®.Network with service people, i.e. letter carrier, pool service person, lawn service person, newspaper delivery person, carpet cleaning people, plumbers, etc.Bird DogsWholesalersMagnetic car signDistribute business cards EVERYWHERECareer attire (Polo shirt with embroidered "I Buy Houses" logo)FliersDoor hangers

If I were you I'd be stalking their social media to see if you can get any additional insight into what they are like as people.

You can use bigger pockets, meetup.com (for real estate networking events and listings), craiglist (for listings), twitter, and other free social sites to get started.

While processing a recent application, I did my normal social media search.

Do your own homework, do demographic studies on the social anchors, on the job industry in the area, on schools, even churches in the area...