this going to be hard right now unless you have some cash to throw around...you're competing with people who have easy access to a LOT of capital. Some are in it to make a good investment, some have no idea what they're doing and will drive the price up, and some just need a house...
Then you're going to have a problem of finding a contractor. The good ones are booked up with more work then they want and the bad ones will just burn you and take your money ... Labor is thought in KC right now as there's so much work you either need volume or higher pay to get quality.
Lastly, building materials are WAY up. Tons of people doing projects from building out entire subdivisions to upgrading the home they've been stuck in for a year. Lumber for example slowed down production during start of covid thinking things would slow down, they didn't . Now prices and lead times are up and it's just lumber.
If you want to be competitive you're going to need a few things:
Access to capital- you're going to need this not only to buy but also finance the project. It'll be hard/expensive to use loans for this with zero history or experience.
Networking- This is split up few diffent ways. But better you can network with those that can find properties and those that are in the trades the better you'll be. BUT if these people are of quality, they'll want to see you can perform...and that probably entails closing a property or pay for a remodel. You might get some slack and they'll take smaller job etc if they slow and it fits but... Trust is a two way street. Both parties need to earn it and you start by showing your capable of paying for a job/house.
You can add lending into this as well as it'll be good to find private lendor but this tends to be more business/relationship based. No one going to lend someone money with no proof they can handle it...or if they do it'll likely require you to have more at stake then they do.
As mentioned above house hack can be fantastic way to get started. The funding easier, you can do some stuff your self and you can offset your hosing cost with that rent. If you buy right the property will appreciate on its own and you'll still get some equity out of it.
If you're looking for a mentor I'd shore up what you're able to provide. There's plenty of dreamers out there looking for help, but they are far away from action. I've found if I approach people with a plan, details on how I'm able excute...but ask a specific question to challenge I'm facing it's been well received. It shows I'm capable of what I'm trying to do, shows I've done the research and I'm asking for help on a specific thing (that the mentor probably overcame). These mentors aren't going to help because they're bored, they're looking for something of value to them. Maybe you're a pro at (insert some niche skill) find someone who sucks at it and doesn't have a network they can get help with. Then use that as a barter like hey help me overcome (specific problem), I've tried xyz, any recommendations? Then as convo offer up something like I see you're struggling with (specific thing you're good at) I can help you with that as I'm (insert proff you're good at this).