I love listening to the podcasts and even if the subject matter is something you aren't interested in, it helps to have a familiarity with all aspects of RE.Once you are comfortable with that, I am sure that there are plenty of posts here on BP that you can analyze yourself. 

It sounds like you are acquiring a bunch of properties right now and if that's the case there's no point as you're not paying your agent anyways and aren't losing out on any money.

:p  If you do not say that at some point you aren't really an investor so I'd say you're right on track.

His realtor told him that open houses aren't worth it.

Hard money lenders usually loan for 6-12 month periods, so they aren't good for rentals.  

Only have found one local investor though and since we aren't a large city I'm not sure that long distance investors are an option. 

Is San Antonio another good area to consider if there aren't many in Dallas? 

Also you can try Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor as well but remember that contractors have to pay for those leads so be serious with your intentions before you throw out requests so you aren't wasting their time and money.

I find it hilarious how all you out-of-town folks think you're finding these AMAZING deals in Columbus low-end neighborhoods that local folks, incredibly, aren't buying.

That doesn't mean there aren't larger SFH investors.