It's true that most American courses include some techniques that don't apply to Canada. But it's also true that aside from some minor differences in paperwork, the basics of REI is the same everywhere. The principles of landlording, rehabbing, flipping, lease options, subject to, notes, mobile homes, raw land, et al. investing certainly cross the Canada-US border.

Before going out and buying any courses, you need to have some idea of what you like and dislike. There are probably as many niches in REI as their are investors. Choosing one for you to start out with requires some soul-searching on your part to decide where your interest lies.

It's generally agreed that the best place to start is in some form of flipping. What you need to decide is what kind of flipping is for you.

Do you like crawling through dirty, smelly, moldy houses that are falling apart? Are you good at estimating repairs? Do you enjoy the thought of helping to improve the neighborhood? If so then wholesaling junkers may be a good place for you to start. There's a overflow of courses that deal with that subject.

Do you prefer dealing with houses that are in move-in condition? Do you know how to work with buyers who have financial challenges, to help them improve their credit and debt situations? Then you may find Cooperative Assignments more to your taste. There are no courses that I know of that specialize in CAs, but several courses touch on them.

Theses are very basic questions you need to ask yourself. It's not enough to say you want to make money or become financially free. You can achieve that in any area of business if you know what you're doing and work hard enough. You need to know why you've chosen real estate, and then narrow it down to a single niche which you can focus on, master, and exploit to its maximum potential.