It turns out getting your license helps and is required for retail sales of real estate—go figure—but it does not provide much of a benefit for investing.I then spent hours upon hours on websites like BiggerPockets absorbing all the information I could about investing in real estate.

@Chris Lopez hosts and co-hosts many classes and webinars regarding investing inside the E470 Loop. 

One of the top listing agents in my area told me she refuses to accept offers from Redfin because they use $35/hr zero commission "associate agents" to host inspections/appraisals, etc, rather than the actual deal-writing agent, causing the above to be the norm w/ Redfin rather than the exception. 

I am really happy that I found this website. this website is crazy resourceful.

You have to drive up and down every street while making a list of all the blighted, vacant and run down properties, then you have to plug each one into a spreadsheet, then look up the owner name and mailing address on the assessor website, then plug that info into the spreadsheet, etc, etc, etc.

There are vendor management rules, servicing rules, foreclosure rules, and a host of other rules that lenders are required to adhere to and investors are required to adhere to.

I have just started reading this book, signed up on the Bigger Pockets Website and will no longer make excuses, or keep putting this off because I don't want to look back anymore and thing: What if?

The MAREI meeting in Overland Park (Kansas City Area) is May 12th - Networking is from 6 pm to 7pm and you can connect with about 10 of our vendors who host a sponsor table, probably 20 other vendors in the room, plus 100 or wo of the areas movers and shakers.Come prepared to network and meet people.First time visitor guest pass available when you pre registerSee the BP calendar for details and links.

You can search on their website for recorded deeds and liens. 

@Skyler MartinsonMy property so far has had negative cash flow.I had a four month vacancy last year, it took about a month to get contractors into the house to get it rent ready (just fresh paint and minor fixes), another month to get it actually listed on the usual websites where people look for rental properties and then it took the remaining two months to get the property approved by HUD.