There may be some books out there specifically for wholesalers as well (I am not sure of any myself, but haven't looked into it before).

Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions about how to contact the leadership.

If you get a NO from one mortgage broker, keep asking different ones until you get a YES to your specific situation. 

I am speaking philosophically and not specifically.  

Sounds like you are new to this.....your contract had very specific conditions that allow the buy to back out and receive their EM back.

Why is there no line item for food in your budget? 

If you're talking owner occupied, meaning you're going to live there, it seems like choosing between those two areas is the primary consideration, then once you've picked that market you can dive down to consider specific properties.For your own personal residence, usually other life factors such as proximity to your place of employment and family considerations (spouse/partner, children, parents/extended family) are even more important than real estate investment.

It is also possible to find properties at the amounts you are seeking depending on the specific area in South Jersey you are looking to invest.I have had clients find success using the strategy you describe. 

We have a forum specifically for agents (select the Forums tab when that opens select the brows forums tab)Keep in mind the investor world and the agent world are very different.

Would you recommend the general MDREIA as the best place to start or one more specific to my area?