I (used to) spend a lot of time just trying to find buildings to buy that fit a criteria.

This is a buyers market if you've got cash to spend.

It just seems whacky to expect to spend $6600/yr on 'expenses' for properties like this.

That said, you definitely don't need to spend money to find a good mentor and spending money doesn't mean you're getting a good mentor.

After we spend time researching our market, learning more about the business, and preparing our business we started investing in real estate.

Start with a single focus and become an expert at that before trying to understand everything.I also think you should hold on to your wallet and get the basics down before you try and spend money on all sorts of bells and whistles...

I felt bad for my PM as she was hard-working when she was there, but that didn't matter when she wasn't available due to an extended family emergency.

After running this place for 8+ years, every little message of support still means a lot to me.Keep jumping in and getting involved -- it is well worth the time you spend!

Now I try to spend less time coloring outside the lines, and stick to what I'm best at when I'm stretching my capital.

My advice (for what it's worth), if you're looking to raise money and you don't want to do a DOT for every single deal, spend some time speaking with your attorney and it shouldn't be very difficult to set it up the right way the first time so you can ask friends and family while looking like an absolute professional.