I am hoping to get some tips, recommendations and hopefully finding a mentor who can help guide me to the right path for becoming a future real estate investor. 1.

My real estate agent has sided with builder (he wants his 3% commission badly) I have no one to guide me at this point.

Scott has also written a terrific guide to calculating ARV.You will also want to get some education on what is currently going on, economically, here in the U.S..

Often people will have more experience with different asset classes and this can help guide you to the right person for you. 

BP has this great "Ultimate Beginners Guide" that provides a great overview of real estate and the many real estate niches that you can get into.

Any lender, commercial or private, will want to know they have an experienced team managing their funds before handing over millions of dollars.Kudos to you for seeing an opportunity and thinking outside the box, but what is your background and who will you have to guide you through this process?

In other words, I knew poverty, embraced it as my reality, and continued making decisions that ensured I stayed there.

@Jerry Padilla should be able to guide you on this.Also note that you're going to be capped at 70% LTV if this is an investment property. 

I've found guides by James Wise for some of the cities on my list, but these are just names on a list to me and I don't feel like I really understand enough of the neighborhoods to confidently make an investment.

Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersSet up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsRead Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingCheck out BP Podcasts: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcastIf you wish to tag someone in the conversation on the forum, type @ followed by their name and then select the name of that person which should appear below the comments box.