New investor in CT looking for a mentor

[Meghan Reed]

I'm looking to dive deeper into the wonderful world of REI. My husband and I have one SFR which we've been renting out for slightly under a year. It was actually our starter house so it wasn't purchased with investing in mind and therefore isn't performing as well as one would want as an investor.

I'm at the stage where I'm ready to start branching out and doing more.  I'm interesting in wholesaling, rehabbing, and holding multifamily rentals. 

I'd love to sync up with a mentor in the CT/MA area but I'm curious how that typically works.  Does one normally pay the mentor and if so is it typically a flat fee for a period of time or number of deals or would it normally be a monthly fee?  Or does the mentor put the student to work in some fashion and that's how they benefit from the relationship?

On one hand I'm happy to pay to gain knowledge and experience but I also would be a bit more skeptical of the relationship if I'm paying.  How do I know that Joe Shmo investor isn't just trying to take my money and run without showing me the ropes?  Or perhaps he doesn't even know the ropes?  How would you all do your homework on an investor?