Don't pay retail for training ever!
I'll tell you a story. In my city there's this group called REIN. It's a popular REI's group. Members pay something like $14,000 per year to be a member. So freakin rediculous if you ask me! So I'll go out to various meetings. People ask me what I do, I say I do real estate investing. Sometimes I run into people who say "oh ya I'm a REIN member" like as if that gives them some kind of prestige. But then as I get to know them I find out they haven't even done one deal, or they maybe one one rental unit at best. The point of this is that $14,000 buys you $140,000 worth of real estate all day long! I'd say if you're starting out trying to avoid all this retail real estate training. Here's what you do, join a free real estate meeting in your area, some can be found at the meetup com website for meeting held in most cities and town. Then go to your local library and take out some real estate books, read and take notes. Get familiar with your local real estate papers, forums, kijiji, craigs list, mls, and any other sources to find real estate. And just get to know other experienced REI's and all you need to do to find a mentor is just become their friend. What a concept. Go to a real estate meeting, try to find out who's who in the meeting and then just get their card and invite them out for coffee. But my advice is don't be like everyone else who only picks their brain. Try to just be their friend. Because a friend will share way more with you about "how to really get ahead" than they will to just someone who comes across as a leech. But trust me, don't pay retail for training. If you find a course that's selling for hundreds, or thousands, then just go to ebay and search it up. Chances are you can find that book or course selling for pocket change. Good luck and just start writing and faxing out little to no money down offers and you'll be in business in no time flat!