Learning from agents commonly working with investors is your next opportunity to find a mentor.To be honest, I wouldn't try to find a mentor from random investors on the internet.

I very much appreciate the honesty around the current state of the market in the area and I will make sure to adjust our projections accordingly.We are excited to start our journey and looking forward to contributing to the BiggerPockets community.

In real estate, blunt honesty often protects people from common pitfalls or predatory advice that oversimplifies the challenges of investing.

I always dig into the borrower though (character) - honesty, experience, skill-level, etc.

To be honest, I´m in the Maintenance & Construction for corporate businesses for some US companies in Mexico and we do some Real Estate down here also, but it´s way much different than the US, so I have much to learn from a lot of people around here and as @Julio Gonzalez, I think this is pretty much the right pad and place to start and to break my fears to start all over again from scratchAlso, I´ld like to hear more from @Justin Brickman why he voted for his city, pros and cons, it will help to read from a local...As I said before, thank you all guys for taking the time to write in this post and share some experienceDo you plan to owner occupy. $40k will not get you a non owner occupied San Diego property unless you find some unlikely alternate financing.

To be honest, I have been really happy with the person who has been helping me, but there's an issue with capacity because she is a full-time employee somewhere else and I believe a single mom. 

This constant worry about honesty and transparency can really take a toll on the property owner. 

They also appreciate honesty and transparency so they can make decisions fast without any surprises.Some of the top skills that you can focus on are:Comping: Knowing your comps inside out is a must.Negotiation: Being able to connect with sellers and strike a good deal is huge.Networking: Relationships with buyers, agents, and other wholesalers are invaluable.Also, Get to know your local market being able to talk the talk in your area will help a lot.

In all honesty, it will be difficult to collect anything from the tenant after they move out and you cannot force them to stay.

And to be honest, I have only considered a hard money loan because that is what my few mentors primarily use to fund their flipping businesses.