How to approach an investment opportunity with zero knowledge?
If you had zero knowledge about commercial real estate but were tasked with finding a lucrative investment under $10MM, where &amp; how would you start?

What are good resources, communities, companies to learn from?

My mom is doing a 1031 Exchange and asked me if I wanted to find &amp; run the purchase for her. I am in corporate sales so I have no knowledge to start with. How should I begin to learn &amp; research? I understand I will probably have to solicit professional services for help. But at this point, I am not even sure what those services would be and when they should come into play.
[{"id": "dnfx5yr", "text": "You don't. ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dnfycfm", "text": "100% no. The liability you could cause for your mom is not worth it at all. ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dng8ush", "text": "Honestly, a REIT is the 'safest' option of investing in commercial real estate with 0 knowledge, but it is still a bad idea. This is exactly what you find a good commerical investment sales broker for.", "replies": [{"id": "dngpoos", "text": "You can't 1031x into a REIT.  ", "replies": [{"id": "dngptwo", "text": "Missed that bit, but I guess my point of being a relatively newb friendly commercial investment vehicle stands", "replies": [{"id": "dngqct8", "text": "Might put her into a couple NNN Walgreens, or the like.  ", "replies": [{"id": "dngqnuy", "text": "Good call, you lose the diversification/hedging benefits mind you, but in this scenario due to the exchange your idea works better", "replies": [], "depth": 5}, {"id": "do0d4aw", "text": "Just stay away from the ones in tertiary markets, they will hold your feet to the fire realizing you have no one to market an empty building to so you have to accept lower rents. ", "replies": [{"id": "do0danc", "text": "Curious as to how you feel about edge cities outside of a big market? Say 40 miles outside of a top-five US metro?", "replies": [{"id": "do0dar9", "text": "40 miles \u2248 64 km\n\n^metric ^units ^bot ^| ^[feedback](https://www.reddit.com/r/metric_units/comments/73edn2/constructive_feedback_thread/) ^| ^[source](https://github.com/cannawen/metric_units_reddit_bot) ^| ^[hacktoberfest](https://www.reddit.com/r/metric_units/comments/73ef7e/contribute_to_metric_units/) ^| ^[block](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=metric_units&amp;subject=stop&amp;message=If%20you%20would%20like%20to%20stop%20seeing%20this%20bot%27s%20comments%2C%20please%20send%20this%20private%20message%20with%20the%20subject%20%27stop%27.%20If%20you%20are%20a%20moderator%2C%20please%20go%20to%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FCommercialRealEstate%2Fabout%2Fbanned%2F) ^| ^v0.11.8", "replies": [], "depth": 7}, {"id": "do0dih9", "text": "I wouldn't mind that at all, it would be case by case but those type of markets can be great and that's where the master planned communities and developers are heading anyway cause it is very difficult to buy below replacement costs in those top 5-10-15 metro cities.", "replies": [], "depth": 7}], "depth": 6}], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dngedmh", "text": "You reach out to the most successful people you know for referrals to a good CRE broker. ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dngf7kq", "text": "Talk to a real estate broker from a mid-size or larger commercial office with experience in investment sales. They can walk you through the many things involved: Timing/identifying process for a 1031, risk levels, exit strategy, active vs. passive management, product types and markets (multifamily, industrial, office, retail, etc), Value-add vs. stabilized, appropriate cap rates, and typical terms / negotiation strategy for your market.\n\nIf the clock is already running for her 1031, you need to talk to someone right away, as time is limited.\n\nYou will also need tax/legal experts, which they can introduce you to.\n\nedit: Don't downvote this poster. They are asking an honest question, which is what this forum is for!", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dngq8w7", "text": "There is so much to learn from scratch that you should not attempt this on your own.  You can learn a lot from BiggerPockets, the largest community and forum on real estate investment. There is a lot of elementary stuff to wade through, but you probably need to do that.  There are CRE pros there, too.  And investors who have done comparable sized 1031 exchanges.  \n\n\nWhat is your mom's criteria beyond price?  If she doesn't know, she needs pro personal finance advice as well as CRE advice.  Does she have a CPA and attorney?  Has she sought their input?  \n\n\nHas the property sold yet?  If so the 1031x clock is ticking, and acquisition can be complex and time consuming.  You also need a pro Qualified Intermediary to handle the exchange.  \n\nEdit: spelling \n\n", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dnkctyg", "text": "Stop. Gain knowledge. Go back to opportunity.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dnkcvg2", "text": "Whats the 1031 closing date? What kind of loan?", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dp3lp7a", "text": "It may be better to pay the tax now than rush into an investment that is over priced and in an already expensive market. Speculation is a game where 95% of the people pay the other 5%. ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]