I’ll certainly check out that podcast and see what wisdom I can glean from those folks. 

I've often heard that a newbie like myself needs to find ways to add value to a real estate investor from whom I am trying to glean knowledge.

The books explains the steps you need to take extremely well and I have been able to glean a lot from the book! 

I believe you get the most out of  professional services when you take the time to glean a basic understanding before meeting with the professional. 

I hope to glean from others experience as well possibly be able to give some helpful thoughts from time to time on areas that I have gained knowledge through my property management and my new endeavor as a realtor and investing.

A lot of great resources to glean from no matter how long you've been in real estate.

I'm sure everyone can glean good information from various sources.  

I have heard others say they do this as well, but how exactly do you glean this information from the assessor's site alone?

But the trouble is the metro area has changed a lot since I was a kid and maybe there are areas that I shouldn't consider/need to consider or other facts that I need to know - knowledge that I can't glean from those sites.

Yes, I understand the need for attorneys in this situation but since attorneys do charge by the hour, I would rather rely on any advice I can glean for free for the first part.