I would be surprised if your brokerage taught you much about creative networking or how to become an authority in your market since that is harder to streamline, but its the BEST way to become successful in any market you choose.Do mailers work?

I had no idea how successful it would be when I started.

Experience is extremely important and I feel that having someone I can learn from would be crucial in my success.

Some good books to get started are:Real Estate Note Investing - Dave Van Horn (Bigger Pockets published book)Invest in Debt - Jimmy NapierPerformance Anxiety - Gordon MossBest of success to you.

Congratulations and I wish you all the success.

However, until I achieve it, I'd like to be smart about it and make sure I protect my livelihood. 

Guaranteed to be time well spent...Best of luck to you and I look forward to following your success on BP!

Thats not to say that there aren't people out there who have success in flipping in the sub-$150k market, just be prepared for the potential for longer marketing times and buyers using grants and other programs that complicate and slowdown the process.

Ask, "Is that the best you can do on price (or terms or whatever you are trying to achieve)?"

If they call themselves a mentor and they can't show evidence of their success as a mentor, then move on.