Good luck in your journey. 

My journey into real estate has just begun. 

This method doesn’t help with your w2 now but as time goes on it doesn’t add to  the income  tax burden as income and equity increases.

Appreciation has been the biggest factor on my journey anyway. 

This is what I would recommend if I was starting my REI journey over again:Read Brandon Turner's book on Rental Property Investing https://www.amazon.com/Book-Rental-Property-Investing-Passive-ebook/dp/B018UTI2DOListening to the BP Real Estate podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcastListening to the BP money podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshowAttend your local https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-events-and-happenings)Start analyzing deals to get practiceEngage more on the BP forumsAll the best!

it seems like if you talk to 10 investors, half of them will swear by one method, and the other half swear by a different approach.  

So, in a nutshell, I wanted to say hi and start networking and see where this journey takes us. 

I plan on buying many properties throughout my REI journey  and someone suggested starting an LLC to have my properties under.

Any guidance on our market specifically or how to better educate ourselves on this new journey ?

Beginning our real estate investing journey and looking at pre-foreclosed homes in our area to begin BRRRRing.Currently, searching through Zillow listings to find potential properties, and a have a few questions for anyone with experience in this market.What kind of information can I expect to receive from the Foreclosure trustee?