I understood that going in.

If I were you I'd pass until I understood the local market much better.

He is an investor himself so he fully understood the project as well as the numbers.

I had understood that the map was fairly updated and was broken down by neighborhood, not necessarily zip code. 

Understood.  

The 10% was something that I thought was unusual as well originally, but understood the extra time and effort they took into getting quotes.

Understood , thanks:-)

@Christopher Phillips understood.

I found one that I understood and enjoyed learning about but also can be used in the REI world along with a good paying job if need be!

Now that there are lots and lots of people who have been doing real estate, I suppose if I was just starting out, I'd use a mentor if I believed he was honest, had integrity, knew what he was doing, showed proof of his performance, still invested in real estate himself, had a hundred or so properties under his belt, bought in the zip codes I wanted to invest in, was buying the types of properties I wanted to own, understood the changing climate of real estate, understood entities and taxes and inheritance issues, understood cash flow, understood asset protection, understood how to find deals "off market" and was savvy, yeah I'd go that route and any amount of money I paid would be inconsequential to the wealth I'd accumulate.