(GRAIN of SALT ALERT: I have not transitioned from the residential to commercial side; I am simply sharing what I have heard countless times on podcasts/YouTube).  

I have thought long and hard about this, built countless spreadsheets, talked to investors, realtors, lenders, family members, read countless real estate and investment and business books, and listened to hundreds and hundreds of hours of podcasts.  

Proud of you my man because you are doing exactly what we have told countless clients to do.

You're goal is NOT to waste countless hours driving around in your car and trespassing on other peoples property to try and get look in the window so see what the place looks like on the inside.

I have read countless books and watched tons of videos on real estate investing and I am ready to jump in to the business.

The reason being: a mentor who actually knows you and your circumstances can provide feedback that's far more personalized than what you'll get from podcasts, books, etc.When I was first starting out, my main "mentor" was my agent--who has a TON of experience buying, selling, rehabbing, maintaining and managing properties. ...back before I had any experience of my own, he was an incredibly valuable resource who helped me navigate some pretty complex problems that podcasts, books, etc. don't address...real estate is a complex business, and every time I think I've seen it all, I encounter a new problem/challenge that just isn't fully addressed in books/podcasts etc.I didn't pay my agent directly for his mentorship, but he realized I was a serious customer (especially after I bought my third property with him), and so he was willing to provide a lot of guidance because he knew his time would be paid for the next time I bought another property...today, I'm his best client, and we regularly have multi-hour long discussions about countless issues/challenges/problems we encounter in REI.So no, I wouldn't suggest paying $10k for a guru, but I WOULD suggest surrounding yourself by highly experienced, highly competent people, and figuring out a way for you to bring value to those people so that they're incentivized to bring value to you! 

First off, I would like to thank all of you for all of the wonderful insight and positive help you have given countless people like myself who are just starting out.

You'll find countless stories here on BP of turnkey ops that sound amazing, even have podcasts and a loyal following, but require huge waiting lists just to schedule a call, only accept cash payments, have operations that pale in comparison to their ads when investors actually visit or, amazingly, don't even have offices in the markets in which they purport to be experts.

You saved me hours of frustration and countless hand cramps.

@Barton Wallace Been doing it for at least 10 years, countless deals, not a single one.Joe V