Once you find someone willing to let you shadow them, approach it with professionalism and a willingness to learn.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

I do a meetup in Mesa on Saturday morning's which is a good place to come meet even more RE professionals and investors.You have the experience so now you just need the right strategy to grow the portfolio.

If i was renting out my house with a pool i would:-Have it professionally looked after. 

As a VA, you’d want to build on that by getting familiar with tools that real estate professionals use.

I’m looking to expand my network and connect with other investors, realtors, and real estate professionals—especially those who are growth and collaboration-oriented.

This strategy aligns well with the buy-and-hold model.Leverage Local Expertise: Partner with professionals like real estate agents familiar with rental markets and property managers who understand tenant needs.

And the Professional plan is a great space for seasoned vets who need a robust system where their team can work through the entire acquisition process. 

This doesn't come cheap--these folks were making high six to seven figures depending on volume.We focused on lending to professional real estate investors--so our customers were frequent repeat borrowers. 

You lose all of the control and these are long term investments - but in my experience the returns match what I had on the active real estate and I am hiring professionals to manage the assets.