I felt I had a good head start since I was already a real estate agent and was very comfortable with finding comps and figuring out the ARV.

@Dwight HenningRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

I really want to do local meetups and interact with more advanced investors but don’t know where to start.

Feel free to reach out—I’d love to hear your story and see how we can grow together!

Based off the general home inspection report you'll be able to see if you need to get an electrician etc out there. 

In short, I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth pursuing an off-market seller financing deal versus getting a traditional loan and competing for the property on the open market.

This worked out to just under 4 months of available listing inventory in both the greater metro and the city itself.

I have a number of lenders that I work with that will do up to 80% on a cash out refinance.

Wholesaling real estate is a great way to start as you must become familiar with deal underwriting and deal sourcing. 

I'm starting out doing redeemable tax deeds and going to auctions where everybody has "bigger pockets" than I do.