Account Closed I'd say with those 2 books you are ready to move onto next steps which is: networking with investors in  your area, find an investory friendly agent, and start getting your financials into order. 

People on BP often talk about leveraging debt to acquire more properties, I'm leveraging all of these benefits that my employer is offering to help me meet my goals faster, I use RE as one of several types of income streams in my overall portfolio.

@James Dutcher  I haven't worked with that company so can't comment, but for me, friends and family are the only private lenders I work with. 

These always have huge turnouts with friendly helpful people from beginner to pro.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52724-im-new-to-investing-how-do-i-find-an-investor-friendly-agent

Our particular friend wants to be a passive investor and wants their money back as quickly as possible.

Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bp The second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciatedThe last one is a post that will help you choose an “investor friendly” real estate agent.

Everyone wants to be friends and play nice and less headache.

Looking for recommendation of brokers in South Jersey who specialize in working with investors looking to build a real estate portfolio.

Dallas has a powerhouse economy beating national job growth by around 100bps, population growth is around 3 times the national average, it is a business friendly environment that attracts real talent, and it is a pretty affordable market relative to other similar locations in the nation.