The Poco's Restaurant meeting is very beneficial for all types of investors of all education levels.

You have a couple choices one would be the air test if your lender will accept it.

But if you can go with an open mind and commit to only the 3 days and learn what you can, then it should be beneficial.

ON the other hand owning real estate related assets can be very beneficial, tax liens, mortgages/ hard money lending, private placements on large commercial properties. commercial ground leases, etc.

My advice:Being in the Triangle, start going to the main TREIA meeting and any sub-group(s) that you find convenient or beneficial (http://www.treia.com).  

So if you get the relationship going with this realtor, the relationship might prove more beneficial than the MLS info. 

What determines the success or failure of your choice is luck, your level of understanding, and your passion for it.If real estate is a goal simply to diversify, it doesn't have to be a primary business for you. 

No other choice.

I've also been thinking about partnering up, but am unsure how to go about it safely or if it is even a good choice.

I think it's important to (as you suggest) to determine what it is you're getting (in reality) and how much it actually costs to place the properties in a holding company, such as annual corporate tax return, taxes, etc..In fact, after being solicited repeatedly by other investors I am currently exploring options with my legal and accounting councils and money lenders for how to best setup an R.E. investment corp and honestly it's a bit of a quagmire.In contrast, I am in no way experienced in US real estate investing but from where I sit it appears there is a bevy of beneficial structures that are *truly* investor friendly.