If anyone has any experience or suggestions, please jump in!

Right now, I am not as interested in investing as I am in helping another investor in order to get some hands-on experience while my wife and I save a little bit more money.

.- Working a W2 as a firefighter, posting and consuming content- Leaving my W2 to dive deep into real estate investing and working as an agent... and still watching/posting content all while business was ok - Deleting social media apps (one have one on my phone that I use 10 minutes or less a day), diving deep into building my business and skills which have drastically increased due to pure focus and increasing my business significantly- moral of the story... focus on the things you need to do in business (dollar productive activities) and life experiences while reducing consumption will increase your success  

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Quote from @Matthew Brown: I'm looking to find others invested in the Fairway America Vivo Rancho Cordova syndication deal to discuss their experience with this investment and Fairway America, overall. 

I have done extensive research in the risks, how to structure such deals to mitigate those risks as effectively as possible, and legal considerations of each strategy. 

You don't need to know everything to get started; you need a foundation to build on, and the rest will come through experience and then refining your education.You can build a basic understanding of investing in 3-6 months.

After talking with my mentor (He's a realtor with 20+ years experience) he suggested purchasing a rental property first.

What's your experience level at this time? 

From my experience working with over 400 investors, consider alternative strategies like rent-by-the-room, buying an SFH with an ADU, or renting where you live while investing elsewhere.