If you were to start all over again what would you do first?

[Sarah Lee]

Hello everyone!!! I've been dabbling in real estate for the past year, nothing super serious, but I want to start hunkering down and taking it seriously. I feel as though I'm at an impasse, a bit of analysis paralysis going on. 

I've read up on certain aspects of real estate that sparked my interest like wholesaling, becoming a real estate agent, the BRRR method, fix and flipping, buying and holding and so on. However, I feel myself not being able to focus on one thing.

My current goal is to save up enough money to buy my first house hacking property and that's the first step I've given myself. However, that's going to take a while and I feel myself itching, waiting for that first step to happen. 

This leads me to my question, if you were to start all over again, is there something you would do in the meantime while you build capital? 

I've been thinking maybe studying and becoming a property manager wouldn't be bad while I build capital or as a means to build capital so I can provide value in the community I'm interested in while also learning a whole lot more about becoming a landlord. Because my main fear after buying my first property is not knowing anything about real estate in the real world going in and just going off of what I've read or listened to. 

I want more hands on, real life experiences before I land my first property and wanted to know if there was a way that you got into real estate that you found helpful before buying your first property.

Or maybe the simple answer is to just buy your first property and you learn as you go! But wanted to ask the community for any personal experiences or input! 

Thank you!