Make contact with you local REA group and see if you can seek out who some of the bigger players in the area use. 

He is definitely one of the major players in the area and seems to be a good guy as well.

Similarly, where I have a vacation rental property there is a ski resort that owns a few condos in the complex, for their employees.

It's a big area, and there's significant players in the market.  

I didn't sell the player.  

Look for REI meetups with some of the local players.

Good day my name is Wayne nice to meet you I'm a 37 year old guy looking to purchase a motel/ multi use building on Vancouver island without much experience in the industry but have a great determination towards this project Iv spent most of my life on the hiway and believe that running a small resort is my next major venture.

This is key to ongoing business (without resorting to advertising yourself or paying high fees for leads).

When it comes to real estate investing, would using your own money always be the last resort?

I raed something of a very supportive billionaire resort developer Sheldon Adelson.