I haven't attend any of those even though I do get invite @Margarita Bozhenkova

.#2  Attend local meetups. 

agreed here but in our market we do more than just build we entitle, attend zoning meetings, we sell the asset, we provide rental comps, we negotiate financing structures, very little of the actual process is building. floorplan design, style, etc local knowledge trumps all.

My husband and I were able to change our plans a bit and attend the self guided portion of the tour last Saturday.

It has been recommended to attend a local meetup, but what do I say?

B grade property walks are attended by my children to run around and tell me which bedrooms they would pick if it was their home.43605, 43608, 43609 are the popular zipcodes for bottom-budget value purchases...I manage a ton in these areas and my personal portfolio contained over 40 43608 properties at the peak. 20% of these properties will be crazy money earners, 20% will be astounding money pits, and 60% will fare average.I have evolved into the nicer 43612/43613 for my personal portfolio and find the properties earn consistently and far smoother than my 43608 houses. ($80k renting for $1200 vs $40k renting for $800 multiplied by the ratio above vs boring consistency of the nicer area) Oh and I have zero excitement for apartments.

Connect with real estate agents and attend events for sharing and mentoring opportunities.

Attend meetups and meet as many people in RE as you can.

Attending these meetings will help you network and establish relationships with others in the industry.

Attend a REIA meetup in your area.