New to real estate investing - seeking advice and mentorship

[Jonathan Morav]

Hi everyone, 

Time to hold my nose and dive into the water. I have been interested in investing in real estate for a few years. I have done a lot of reading, research, watched videos, and followed exciting people engaged in the space across social media -- but as we all know, there is no better way to learn than to DO.

So...I am looking for a mentor who will help guide my early decision-making and hopefully make my initial foray into real estate investing a little more educated. 

I am relatively agnostic to the strategy but am biased toward finding investments toward a more long-term view of building wealth and income. I am based in Hoboken, NJ, and am open to out-of-state investing and investment opportunities closer to where I live. 

If you are an elder statesman with a demonstrable record of success in real estate investing and looking to mentor a newbie hungry to learn and execute, please feel free to reach out, and I would love to set up some time to talk. 

All the best,

Jonathan

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Jonathan Morav:

Welcome to the BiggerPockets forums!

I'll mentor you.

Lesson 1: you don't need a mentor.

Find a market that is not hostile towards Landlords. Narrow in on a few cities where you can find a good property manager and experienced REALTOR. Use the PM and REALTOR to narrow in on strong neighborhoods. Buy a property. Rinse and repeat.

Real estate investing is very forgiving. Even if you make a mediocre choice, most properties will improve over time and become good investments.

Dave Meyers of Biggerpockets has blogs here and videos on YouTube where he analyzes the best markets to invest in. Watch 2-3 videos, pick a state you believe in, and stick with it. Find a city with opportunities and where you can find a good PM and REALTOR. Buy. You'll figure the rest out as you gain experience.

Join a local investing group and start spending time with other investors. You learn a lot through networking. Read some books. Read them again. Highlight, take notes, practice analyzing deals, speak with lenders. All this information is available for free (or mostly free). If you really want it, go get it.

Instead of asking for a mentor, just ask for what you want to know right here on the forums and investors like myself will share our wisdom for free. No mentor needed.

Thus ends the lesson.