I also met him personally at another event.   

And eventually or even now, go to Real Estate Events all around Chicago, most of them are free and you can find the events on Meetup.com or Eventbrite.com (my company also hosts a lot of events every month that are free @A&N Mortgage which you can find on Meetup.com).Good Luck!

I have attended plenty Padsplit events and talked to my Account Executive (AE) and some veterans from Padsplit (the real expert, not newer sales person), and some Padsplit investors who own them and love them. 

New construction is also a solid option because everything’s brand new, and you’re less likely to run into issues with maintenance early on.As for research, I’d focus on the local economy and rental demand.

I also have tenants set up monthly on Lolo Gifts, which costs me 1.50 per tenant per month, and sends them a little monthly treat from a local business in town.

I've lately been working on doing the same in Puerto Vallarta.I'm also working on putting a group of buyers together to do our own developments together with local associates.Have you invested in Mexico yourself?

If you are using local banks, there is a high chance it won't connect.

PassivePockets is a great place to do this as well as live events such as BPCON every October.Just as important as networking is education. 

Check on ownership status before you get into escrow.Get multiple inspections to be able to really determine the extent of repairs.Try to align yourself with the best contractors, had good referrals, but somehow nobody stood behind their warranties.Have a good lawyer and local accounting firm.Talk to locals to see how things are done and what's happening around you.Have patience!

This was my first investment property and I used a loan from my 401k for the down payment and also used a local credit union for a 10% down payment on it when I bought it.