I would spend some time here on BP reading about whatever type of investing you're interested in, visit some local REIAs and network with other investors, and try to find someone who has been successful at what you want to do -- then offer to volunteer some time for his business in return for some mentorship.Most importantly, don't rush it...

THANKS to all of you for volunteering.

Hello I'm Marte I live in the Fort Worth/Dallas area and I'm interested in becoming a wholesaler maybe have a mentor to teach me the ropes in my area, anyone want to volunteer?

Gabe, all the HOAs we deal with have professional management in place already, but just learned recently that the association where I live hired a professional management firm because whoever was handling it for them (not sure if they hired him or he was a volunteer owner -- before my time) ran off with over $100,000, which they did not recover.

On a side note, is the HOA an all volunteer board or are they paid to serve?

If I've misinterpreted your post and you have something unique to bring to the table (cash, leads, volunteer your time for a few months, etc), you should mention that.

Inspectors were not only on site, but volunteer as well. :)

I was thinking of maybe going and seeing if there are any paid or volunteer opportunities at one of the I assume many real estate investment firms here in Chicago.

Interesting they sell for less than the tax due, here it's the entry bid.You'd think they would see that as a ploy of tax evasion.Guess you could out bid the owners then for the cash flow.I suspect the best way to approach the city would be throgh a city council person, not employees as the method would likely require council approval for volunteers to do the leg work and charge a fee to attach to the property.

Btw, I'm pretty sure that I'm more transparent about my real estate business than 99.9% of investors out there, I spend a lot of money on attorneys to ensure I'm protected from frivolous lawsuits, and I still wouldn't volunteer this information to a tenant...