The Queen Of Rehab!
I went to hear Robyn Thomson last night at the local investers club. She had a lot of good infomation and all, but the thing that bothered me about what she was saying was that you should get a real estate licence to get the inside info that non-licenced people can't get at. Meaning houses that haven't hit the MLS sheets yet!! I'm sure there are other ways to get the inside scoop on new on the market houses. 
Cliff ......... newbie
In the rehab world, you have the move fast. having a jump on everyone else can be a vital part to your success. all she does is rehabs so it's understandable for her to say that. She is a very cut throat individual and I've heard her speak many times, and she's good. but in other areas of real estate, people call you, their house is not listed, and they want out.
Depending on the area of REI you get into will depend on how you go about tackling this thing.