And if he does just want you to screen, you can connect with the various Balto REIA groups and find people who are looking for a good screener and may also teach you more of their business.

This will teach you enough about your local markets to start answering your own questions on where to invest as well as give you food for thought on what you are trying to achieve with investing (what kind of investing, your criterea, etc)Good luck

I am looking forward to contributing to the forums, especially topics including: financial analysis and underwriting (a class I teach at UCLA), leasing commercial properties, and flipping v. renting (via my former position at American Homes 4 Rent).

When I attended 2 of the Tallahassee Investor Network meetings, which granted is not many, I found them uninformative (one podcast on Biggerpockets will teach you much more).

Most do not teach real estate and investing, they sell products or programs disguised as an education. 

My goal is to eventually gain financial freedom (teachers generally don't have this option if they only teach!)

I do have a question, I was looking at some lenders that work in the WA area and I found one, but he wants me to sign up for a system with him that would "teach" me the trade and then he would help me find financing.

No problem getting them financed.I suspect this is a hybrid of Manufactured home and stick built add on .. not sure where that falls. but buy a manufactured or factory built home and affixing it to a permanent  foundation creates a home that is financeable like any other.. at least in all the one's I have done.. and will continue to do in your fair city.Also in Charleston SC were I am quite active there are a lot of factory built homes.. they are different than the west coast trailer style but none the less they are factory built.

It's only a matter of time before the school of hard knocks teaches you about the laws and regulations here in Colorado.

So I joined this group hoping it would focus teaching what REI is all about.