I know why I'm here now though:1 - I have a series of financial goals to accomplish for my family2 - I enjoy REI.3 - I have a series of financial needs to accomplish in order to do a number of things outside of my family4 - REI is fun5 - I like the challenge and I like the problem solving6 - REI is a lot of fun7 - I like meeting other REI, I like helping other REI.8 - I grew to realize that if you know what you're doing, REI has the lowest risk with the highest return of any other type of investing9 - I like meeting other REI10 - I like helping other REI.

Talk to a local attorney who knows the specifics on each step in your area.

So my suggestion for new guys and gals out there looking to invest, the first step is to SAVE MONEY!

Best wishes as you continue to take your next steps in REI.

I had always wanted to own property but never took steps to educate myself on my goals (sounds stupid to even say that).

This would increase the overall raise amount, address our challenges of raising capital per project and the returns would be shares of all the projects.

My next step is to network with those in my field and see if I can generate more opportunities thank you.

But I'm willing to put in some work to validate assumptions before taking a big step, so here I am.

@Matthew Charron I do hope someone takes you up on your offer.In case no one does though, I'd recommend you attend a local real estate investor group like Black Diamond REI in southern Mass. or RI Real Estate Investors Group in RI.You'd want to engage several people in conversation, particularly during the times at the beginning and end of the meetings when folks typically network, and maybe ask a few folks out to coffee.Many people look for "mentors", and that might work for you, but another approach to consider would be just to try making friends with people who are one or two steps ahead.So maybe they're not successful full-time investors (the Holy Grail of Mentor-seeking), but instead own one or two rental properties, or have done one or two successful flips, or really anything in one of the directions you want to go.I find that can be easier to achieve, and you can get a lot out of it because such folks are very familiar with the challenges you face - after all, it wasn't long ago they were at that same point themselves.

So, that could be an interesting challenge to overcome.