I would LOVE if I could walk to work or ride a bike.

Degree in Finance, Series -7 license, underwriting private placements, the whole thing.  

To piggyback on that, I want to set up an auto responder email series for those that come to my website.

Ethics in Americahttp://www.learner.org/resources/series81.htmlThis series uses the Socratic method to build analytical skills and examine ethical questions.

Doing things the cheap way, I have found that this works for me, and gives things a genuine touch that brings really good deals in:Drive/bike/walk your dog for dollars (houses with unkempt yards, look vacant, ugly-ish rentals/multis, etc)Make a vocal list using your mobile's voice recorder of the addressesCheck them out on your property appraiser's site for your city/town (I find that making a spreadsheet in something like Excel or Google Docs helps keep track of this info)If the property looks good (was purchased a while ago, mortgage is underwater, owned by a trust or by someone not living in the actual house, etc) save it in the dossier for a letterWrite a letter (by hand) stating your name, that you want to buy their house, can close fast, pay cash, etc (whatever your buyers are capable of doing; it's good to know who those people are &/or how to find them FAST), leave your number &/or email (I use Google Voice - it's free and has TONS of goodies)Send it out with a stamp and follow up in 3 weeks if you don't hear back from them (as in, send a follow up letter, not the same one)This is just one way of doing things, but I know it can be stressful when someone says "just find a deal and get it under contract then go from there".

Your mailing should consist of a series of letters in sequence, over time.Set aside nixies (returned mail) and learn how to skip trace those target people. 

If it owns the property instead of you personally, then the liabilities for the property are limited to the assets of the LLC, rather than all of your personal assets.This may not matter when you're broke and just starting out, but as soon as you can, you want to put your real estate assets in an LLC (preferably each one in a different series of a series LLC) and don't sign or guarantee any note or other legal obligation personally. 

Not to belabor the point but it would almost be like betting on a child learning to ride a bike that they will get it their first try and be popping wheelies down the street.

Austin does have a river that runs through it and there is plenty of hiking, biking, kayaking along the river.

It's a lot like riding a bike.