Wash dishes at the local restaurants.  

The front end can sometimes be tedious to get approved by the local housing authority, but rent payments are always timely.

Make sure any renovations comply with local regulations and obtain the necessary permits if plumbing changes are involved.

If you are just looking to network I would go the route of meetups locally (you can check above at the toolbar, hoover over forums then to the right you have events and meetups.If you are looking to wholesale and build a list of buyers that fix and flip for deals you may have then I would pull lists from 3rd party sites like Property Radar or propstream.

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

Yes, if you lived local and did it, then you wouldn't have to pay for it since you do not charge for your time.  

And the best way to start networking is here on BP and attending your local REIA meetings IMO.

Other international markets may be too opaque for me, and I'm definitely going to invest in China as it's not possible to even have more than one property in your own name (to the best of my knowledge) and the local government can find many ways to screw you over if they wish to.

I am new and I am checking in to see who is local to Albuquerque or in New Mexico and wants to meet up for coffee to talk about investing and goals! 

I suspect that you'll have better luck with a local bank or private money, though it likely will still be challenging.