@Ryan Landis, as an SF Bay Area investor myself, wondering if there are any specific meetups you highly recommend.

joseph, Right off hand I can't think of a specific company with those low fees. 

I would likely have to take on a partner to afford the down payment (I have a partner lined up for this specific deal).

In NJ, margins are fairly low.

I understand so far, you are having a hard time buying into the US market, but I think your problem may bethe specific markets you are looking in.  

Read the Guide on Wholesaling, and the many Blogs on Wholesaling, then check out the Podcasts which have info on wholesaling specifically as well as great discussions of general real estate knowledge. 

Appreciation can be a strategy but not in regards to the specific purpose behind rental property ownership.

My goal is to create passive income through investing specifically Buy and Holds.

I live in the Houston area(Pearland to be specific) but I'm from Texas City and I'm quite familiar with most of Galveston County.If you're interested in this deal of a lifetime, let's meet up and discuss terms.

It will require a bit more research for you there.If you're not doing any buying/selling as part of the deal, then you're looking more at a Master Lease (subleasing) scenario and on a single family home, you're likely to not have much margins.