Second, I hope to make some contacts and friends here that I can bounce off of in my search for those perfect properties.

There is no perfect way to invest or perfect location.

I agree that now's a perfect time to look for great deals.

Thank you Jon, this was the perfect answer to clear my head a bit on what is taking place.

I came across a little excerpt that I thought is perfect for all of us newbies that get into real estate investing and wanting to give up. 

This is the perfect place to learn more about REI.

Account Closed  Just read it back to yourself from another point of view:You plan to find a nearly perfect house in a great neighborhood that is selling far below market value but needs barely any work.

So what I hear from everyone is that the perfect realtor for my team has -Zero money themselves but lots of expenses so theyre hungry.Zero other investors in their stable but lots of good contacts for finding deals for meZero properties themselves but impeccable ability to find and negotiate great dealsZero ambition to work for anyone other than you but endless energy for meTongue in cheek (mostly). 

The tax lien database is perfect for finding non-owner occupied houses for a direct mail campaign.

They checked out perfect and I changed my mind (policy?)