I struck up a conversation with one of the landlords while at the property one day and he volunteered what he was getting out of the 5 rentals he had.

I invest and volunteer in Newark and our office is in Bloomfield.

Anticipating a career change, I've been studying horticulture at the Univ. of Richmond and volunteering to gain experience.

You could join WLA (walandlord.com) and attend their meetings, invite other people from BP to coffee, find a real estate agent to volunteer time to, and/or do a lot of reading and listening to podcasts.

They are not going to volunteer all these relationships to you, nor will these people treat you like the experienced investor, but if they know you have experience from working under that investor there is a chance they will be more open to having a relationship with you based upon the experience of the other investor.Hope that helps...PS The best thing about a mentor in your local market is a great mentor will know the market well enough to know a deal without having to use guess work, they typically understand the little differences in neighborhood that might cause a radical drop in house values of homes that might look like deals, but are really "Money Pits".

Volunteer labor, donated supplies and materials, deeply discounted materials provided future forced equity.

I also just spoke to a friend and if I start doing volunteer work a Habitats' Re-Sell I will be able to purchase incredible bargains.[ I have never volunteered at their stores before but have volunteered with the actual refurbishing]my son and I are both autistic [ NO that is not his disability.

I know some of the basics and am trying to expand my knowledge.I'm willing to volunteer for a broker or agency in exchange for learning the ins and outs of real estate transactions.

You might try to find a rehabber in your area and volunteer your services in exhange for the opportunity to learn the business.

HOAs boards often are made up of other homeowners who volunteer time their time.