& Regs. r. 520-1-.07Legal/Regulatory Action: Rule(link is external)The Georgia Real Estate Commission has identified the following tasks that unlicensed support personnel may perform:Answer the phone, forward calls to the licensee;Submit data in listings to a MLS;Follow up on loan commitments after the negotiation of the contract;Gather the necessary documents for a closing;Secure public information documents from a courthouse or other public sources;Have keys made for listings;Install or remove lock boxes from listings;Create ads and promotional materials that are to be approved by the licensee;Place ads in newspapers, magazines and other publications as instructed by the real estate agent;Receive, record and make deposits – security deposits, earnest money, advance rents;Fill in contract forms following the instructions of the licensee;Monitor license reports and personnel files;Compute commission checks;Place and remove signs on/from properties;Order routine repair works as instructed by the agents;Pick up and deliver documents and keys;Schedule appointments on behalf of the licensee;Schedule inspections on properties;Schedule the dates for the mortgage application, the walkthrough before closing and the closing;Schedule an open house;Accompany a licensee to an open house or a showing only for security purposes;Perform maintenance works on properties.The Commission has identified the following tasks as some of the activities that unlicensed support personnel shall not perform:Make cold calls or otherwise contact the public for the purpose of securing prospects for listings, leasing, sales, exchanges, or property management of real estateHost open houses, kiosks, home show booths, or fairsPrepare promotional materials/advertisements without the review and approval of an affiliated licensee and firmShow real estateAnswer any questions on title, financing, or closings (other than the time and place)Answer any questions regarding a listing except for information on price and amenities expressly authorized in writing by the licensee;Discuss or explain a contract, listing, lease, agreement, or other real estate document with anyone outside the firm;Discuss the attributes or amenities of real estate, under any circumstances, with a prospective purchaser or lessee;Collect or hold deposit monies, rent, other monies or anything of value received from the owner of real estate or from a prospective purchaser or lessee.Discuss with the owner of the real estate, the terms and conditions of the real estate offered for sale or lease;Collect or hold deposit monies, rent, other monies, or anything of value received from the owner of real estate or from a prospective purchaser or lessee;Provide owners of real estate or prospective purchasers or lessees with any advice, recommendations or suggestions as to the sale, purchase, exchange, or leasing of real estate that is listed, to be listed, or currently available for sale or lease. 

It seems as though "the web we weave"  becomes tighter and tighter for the borrower...or am I just imagining it. 

Money magazine has always had advisers that tell people who write in that they are overweight in RE.

Said they were finding their deals through serious SEO marketing when in fact they were farming other investor's web sites and trying to sell those deals and they had little to knowledge of the property details.3. 

There is no better source of information on the web ;)

Interesting AMA article on that http://www.amanet.org/news/AMA-2010-critical-skill...See my collection I am building http://bundlr.com/b/sales-and-persuasion-skillsI love entrepreneur magazine and inc magazine. 

It may not be what you wanted it to be, but you're not in the red...and, that will only increase over time as rents appreciate, but your mortgage costs remain the same (assuming you have a fixed mortgage...please say you do), so, the longer you hold, the better off you'll end up (assuming you don't see any other issues).In the future, I'd recommend that you use the calculator that's available for each of the properties on HomeUnion's web site to change the numbers (vacancy rate, loan terms, maintenance provisions, etc.) to see where you'll end up in different scenarios.Good luck with your future investments. 

@Aaron Hardin, I just checked the Dallas REIG web site and it says they are ceasing all meetings until after the holidays.  

Well I stumbled upon this article that offered some web portals to find services and tips.

Web sites like Trulia, and google maps really help with the selection process by showing high crime or run down areas where you might want to think twice before investing.