What I wrote above does not create an attorney/client relationship between us.

I am looking for recommendations for an excellent, creative and responsive mortgage broker that works in multiple states and can help advise me as I start to build my real estate portfolio.

What I wrote above does not create an attorney/client relationship between us.

Or you can take a hard money loan if you expect to get a job within a few months (the more expensive and risky option but possibly worth it if the deal is excellent and you can't get conventional finance)

Don't wash your mentor but build a mutual relationship. 

If you build a good relationship with an agent though they will likely help you with this for no cost.

I appreciate you sharing this because while I specialize in financing for self employed investors whose tax returns don't qualify them for conventional financing, I'm always looking to build relationships with great local banks so that I can build my business in that direction too. 

It frees up time for you to do/focus on other things, and begins the building blocks for you to potentially scale your system easier, build more relationships, and could snowball into new deals through the partnership you'd have with the property management company. 

Net Worth and Income have no causal relationship to Investment sophistication.

I think for the portfolio loan in my situation it came down to having a relationship with the local bank.