I am looking to network with as many people as possible and really build a large team.

Your best bet is networking!

So when I googled it led me to this website.I guess from my first week of studying REI, I realized I needed a good network of lenders, buyers, sellers, tax accountants, appraisers, contractors, property management services and the likes but I did not know where to go to.Well, that is all.

My plan is to use the "be your own builder network" in order to have equity at time of completion.

Welcome,Maybe start out slow when it comes to real estate versus your current occupation / fieldMeaning use your medical field connections( watch doctors, nurses, and etc wanting to invest into your newly performing real estate business )FYI - Having a good paying employment will make it a lot easier to obtain loans and refinancing network deal after deal

These days, you'll want to find the off-market deals -- door-knocking, direct mail, advertising, networking, driving neighborhoods, etc.

It's changing a lot, but in a great way, and I'm very interested to see how it develops over the next couple years.My goals are to understand how to spot and forecast trends early, and also network with developers.

@Dion DePaoli What are the other big banks where I can find discounted REO's I noticed in your post you said that in a sense street level investors can sometimes get property at a deeper discount than folks purchasing pools I am very interested in filling in some of the blanks that I have as pertains to this I have a great deal of buyers in my network, Im looking to acquire the contacts needed to engineer deals for my buyers.Thanks you are a great mind and this already has helped me out tremendously!

But can't really advise you without knowing what you want to do in Real Estate.I suggest you get out and network with other investors from Chicago in PERSON!

Networking with other landlords or property managers can be a big help too.