Yes, I agree. Just jump in and get a good property. When I bought my first, I asked myself, where would a renter like myself (single, well-educated, workingprofessional, middle class/upper middle class, first well-paid white collar job out of college) want to live? That helped me narrow down a good area in my town that had the amenities to appeal to young working professionals. Apparently, that has worked out very well as our building has experienced 20% annual increase in value, and no one is selling their unit in our building. Our current renter wanted to buy a unit in our building and nothing is available.
Start with what you know. So start with a good neighborhood you are familiar with. (Our first property was literally behind my old high school.) Another property was down the street from the in-laws. The third one was across the street from my mom’s old workplace. The next was near my sister’s high school. Actually being from the neighborhood helps because you have a feel for the safety of the neighborhood, the demographics, and any quirks that aren’t easily visible from the “stats”.
With regard to a mentor, I think you need to jump in first. Then as you meet people and talk about the rental property business, people will start to share their insights and knowledge.