How do I find someone with experience in rental investments?

[Kyle Marsh]

What is the best way to find an experienced person who has invested in rental properties? On the first Bigger Pockets podcast one guy mentions that you shouldn't spend a couple thousand to fly out to some workshop in Denver, but rather find someone who has experience in "your own backyard." I've been reading books, taking online courses and following forums such as these to learn about how to profit off of rental income, but I think working with an experienced professional would probably be the best source of knowledge.

I am currently a Sophomore in college taking online classes located south of Boston. I've reached out to several firms to see if they might have either a part time opportunity or internship, but they didn't seem too interested. I don't have any experience with Real estate but I am slowly learning more everyday. How can I find someone who would want to hire / use me? How can I make myself worth their time? Are there any ways someone with little experience can assist someone who is investing in real estate whether that be property management or finding new deals? I'd be interested in any advice to find someone who has any kind of experience.

Thank you and I look forward to reading any responses.

[James Carlson]

@Kyle Marsh

Yeah, don't just call your local Keller Williams or anything. Like @Charles Carillo said, check out MeetUp. There's likely one, if not many, real estate investment meetups near you in Boston. I know there are in Denver and Colorado Springs where we work. Start there. Also see who's posting on here about real estate investment. And I'd get on the phone with at least two if not more agents to talk to them. A few questions I'd ask of an agent:

• How many deals did you do the last year? The year before? 
  • I care less about how long they've been doing real estate and more about the volume they're doing. I want to see someone doing at least 15 deals a year, preferably 20 or more. 
  • If they say they're doing something like 50 or 60, then I'd also ask them if you're going to work with them or if you're actually going to be passed off to a team member.  
• How many of those deals were for investors? And what type of investor? 
  • For instance, we work with a lot of Airbnb/STR investors and a lot of house hacking types in Denver and Colorado Springs. We don't do BRRRs or flips, so that wouldn't be a good fit. And this assumes you know what kind of investing you want to do.
• Do you invest yourself? Where and what type?
• Not a question, really, but a note to think about ... Do they communicate well? Both in frequency (like, do they get back to you within 24 hours at the latest?) but also in clarity (can they explain real estate investing in a way that you understand and feel comfortable with?)

Good luck!