A great way to start is to ask a few other RE professionals for recommendations.

Maybe hobby landlords but professional landlords do not collect rent.

I am looking to network and find professionals that could help me get started and can introduce me to their network.

I hope to not offend you by dropping the conversation to a more basic level than the other professionals who responded.

I’m a property manager in upstate NY and I’ve started a series of interviews with local professionals in the real estate field and I could use some help.

We only have a house or two, we say.And just because we got away with not having a professional layout when we received a mortgage for our first rental or even second rental, we think it's okay just to present a mortgage company, bank or hard money lender, just some figures written down on a piece of paper or on an Excel Spread Sheet.But what happens when the time comes when you want to really expand?

In the interim, while we learn more, I was thinking about just using the funds as an accredited investor in a crowdfunded commercial real estate platform. 

Especially because most of my investors would be family and friends and non-accredited.

Either way, congratulations on the purchase and for taking the risk in the first place but you need to get a safer more conventional property loan in my professional opinion to give you better chances in keeping this property especially if you have a long term rental income plan for it. 

Find a professional.