Grand Theft Auto Online – Are the Online Daily Objectives Different for Everyone?

Figured it out. Part of the problem was that the server situation on day one was preventing texts and calls from Simeon from triggering.

As you level he sends one telling you about purchasing a garage for your car. This happens at around levels 5-6. You can find all the properties by going to the in-game website: dynasty8realestate.com. The properties will also show up on the map if you drive close to them. They have a symbol that looks like a house; it's also very similar to the convince store icon.

By level 10 it looks like most of the available content has been opened up.

Heist are currently not available, and will arrive in a later update.

I tested this a few days ago with a friend, because I was also curious. Here's what I found out:

When a player is displayed as a "flag icon" instead of a dot icon it means they are currently on the world map or in the menu. When you go near a player when they have said "flag icon" it will also say "Paused" next to their name.
All in all, it indicates to other players that you are an easy target.