Either way, you're the fiduciary of your plan so it's important to make smart educated investments.

Any advice from pros as to what I should absolutely do first to better educate myself and start now?

I recommend you go to the source and educate yourself on all the landlord-tenant laws, particularly in an increasingly regulated state like Colorado.Here's a good starting point: https://doh.colorado.gov/landlord-rights-and-responsibilitie...

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

There’s no perfect spreadsheet for analyzing appreciation like there is for cash flow, since appreciation is a bit more of an educated guess.

I am wondering if my first steps (past the education part) is to build a network of people who know, like, and trust me through posting content like newsletters, articles, podcasts, doing webinars, going to events (aka build my brand), or, should I first find a deal and then raise capital?

@Andrew NovitskyNever heard of themWhat turned me off is on their site they have education and merchandiseHow many funds have the launched?

Educating yourself is very important, so continue to do so.

I am looking to join a mentorship program to help lower my learning curve and until I find it, I am educating myself with books, as well as YouTube University and great advice from the BiggerPockets community.I do work full-time in a career that I love and is very rewarding, but I also know I won't attain my goals with my current job.

Thanks to CA, educating yourself on all of the new laws in place or coming into effect to make sure you are in compliance is another part of the job that most people don't realize.