Arizona investor

[Drew Cameron]

I'm a newbie to real estate investing in the Phoenix area and was thinking about joining a club to find a mentor and network. Is it worth paying a membership fee and going to monthly meetings or would it be more advantageous to network and get a team then rely in bigger pockets? I called a bandit sign that said real estate investor seeks trainee and went to a meeting. At the end of the meeting they tried to sell me a 20,000 education course and being part of a local team of investors. I had already gone to a than Merrill weekend conference which really sold me on real estate investing just not with his group. After going to this meeting it was comforting to meet with local investors, but they seemed so amateur and weren't really doing a ton of deals. $20,000 I think could be better spent doing deals, but I'm nervous to just start on my own without seeing how experienced investors estimate rehab costs and what to do as far as work when comparing comps. I'm afraid that if I don't get a mentor I'll never do a deal based on my comfort level. Is anyone else in the same boat? Did anyone pay for mentors to start off?