That being said, having your license and having access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) will only be of benefit to you in your investing career.  

Getting licensed, and having access to the MLS, provides some advantages as well as some obstacles.  

It will payoff in the long run.Suggest managing the business types in the center AND getting sufficient parking - - these kill accessibility and traffic flow.

In Texas, protests need to be filed by May 31st and most counties have access to online appraisals to check the values

What about cable, internet and Wi-Fi access?

I usually use Danny Salas at Access Real Estate Lending or Rudy Cortez at Summit Funding.

I don't know if you have access to the MLS or Redfin.com or the equivalent.

With that being said and your post requesting a focus on partnerships, here are a few things to consider as you move forward.1) Do you need a partner - or are you simply looking for accessible forms of investment capital that will allow you to acquire properties with minimal hassles, given the underwriting requirements of most institutional/Fannie Mae lenders. 

For this reason I would highly recommend looking at multifamily greater than 5 units (that's the commercial lenders threshold; below that your income and job would be a factor).I am constantly looking in the Atlanta area, and although it might be hard to find a multifamily for ~$366k (the $110k / 30% -->typical amount down), you could always partner or participate in a syndication (crowdfunding).  

Therefore, in the future if you need funds you already have access.