Another method is phone calls of course:From The Baylor University’s Keller Center for Research Study"Agents were asked to call a generic, random list of numbers from a region not previously marketed to that either they provided or that was supplied to them by their KWRI regional office.

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My advice is to sign on with a company that has loads of training and support like Keller Williams. 

I just went through this myself and chose to work with Keller Williams because of the stellar reputation for education, and so far I'm not disappointed.

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“Anything with outdoor space is flying, and renovated townhouses that are priced well are going into bidding wars,” Keller Williams NYC agent Melissa Leifer told The New York Times.Case in point: A single-family townhouse in Clinton Hill at 445 Washington Avenue in move-in condition with multiple outdoor spaces, including an extra-deep backyard, closed in a head-spinning 32 days from the time it was listed, agent Eileen Richter of Compass told Brownstoner.Sunbathers in Domino Park in Williamsburg in June.

Gary Keller recommends at least 0.7% in his book "The Millionaire Real Estate Investor". 

I like Million Dollar RE agent by Gary Keller, Million dollar investor by Gary Keller, and The Abcs of Commercial Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy. 

Check out The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller.

Have a read of The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller for help analyzing deals.