@Dwight HenningRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

I have learned a ton about flipping and now have current deals going on.  

You learn together.

I’m passionate about real estate and am working towards building my investment portfolio, with a goal of acquiring five rental properties over the next five years.I’m here to connect with like-minded individuals, learn from experienced investors, and share knowledge along the way.

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

My journey right now is learning more about real estate investing as I've been very passive and bought without much research beforehand.

Many online courses are self-paced, so working on it in your spare time is absolutely doable.If a career shift isn’t your goal, you can still learn the "game" through various other means.

Lessons learned?

With the two lots together they could be sold for 50-75k.. im doing research all day everyday to learn more and more about real estate investing.. so much that im nearly on the verge of divorce.

I spent the last almost 3 years doing my due diligence learning the lay of the land.