The 5 Biggest Mistakes New Investors Are Making Here In The Forums

[Jonathan Greene]

These are here to help you make better connections in the forums. It's ok to be new, but if you consider these five tips, you will get much better responses to your questions.

1. Writing too little or too much in a post looking for answers. There is a happy medium out there. If you write a novel, most of us won't read it because it's just too much. If you write too little, we have nothing to go on. Ask one question and tell everyone what you have done up to this point to get the answers. Also, give relevant information on rates, prices, square footage, etc.

2. Asking for a mentor without having anything to give. This is running rampant. It's great to get in the forums and look to make connections, but when you only put your hand out and ask for help and have nothing to give back, you are only going to get people who are going to pitch you. A few locals may reach out (more likely local agents), but you will never hear back if you hop on that call and only want to take from them.

3. Being fragile when you don't get the responses you want. If someone doesn't give you the answer you want and you clap back, your time in the forums will be short. Not because you will get removed but because you aren't open to advice. Sometimes, you will ask one question, but pros will have other questions to see if you are even asking the right question. Open forums aren't the best option if you are prone to fragility.

4. Asking questions without researching how often the same question has been asked. See "Should I start an LLC?" as an example. If you want to get the best responses, don't ask a question that has been asked a million times. Do your due diligence in the forums, looking for other answers, and use those to frame a better question.

5. Posting the same question in multiple forums. This is a definite no-no. Please stop. Pick one forum where your question makes the most sense. If it's a good question, we will find it. If you post the same question in several forums, we all know it's spam. You know it's spam. Don't spam.

If you are an experienced commenter here, let everyone know what you think of these to help them even more. Add some of your own.

If you are new, please use these to help yourself get better answers here.

[FR W.]

Quote from @Kevin S.:

@FR W.

Jonathan expects others to read his long post but responding yours' with 'TLDR'.  

I know that mine was read :)

[David Dachtera]

Quote from @Carlos Ptriawan:

I am shocked that a forum as big, popular, and profitable as bigger pockets does not have a more capable search function.

Biggerpocket is searchable publicly. No need to have search inside BP. We can use AI that summarize the answer from all 10+ years discussions.

I alwasy ask something like this AI prompt "In biggerpocket site, what's the recommended approach when........ .."

AI is a newcomer to the party. It has familiarity issues. It also has credibility and trust issues. 

[Jonathan Greene]

Quote from @Kevin S.:

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

Quote from @Kevin S.:

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

Quote from @Kevin S.:

@David Dachtera

A well balanced response.  You took the time to dig deeper and come up with more plausible explanation than just shining 'more' negative light on newbies.  More respect to you.  

Newbies are newbies for a reason.  Yes, some will stay newbies and some will move up.  

I don't read anything negative in the original post aginst newbies. It's there to help people. There are good newbies who try and learn and a plethora of bad newbies who are just being time sucks and lazy. It's easy to find good newbies, but if they all can take the tips to help them get better answers, that was the point.

 I don't disagree with things you posted but you certainly grouped all newbies together for one.

"Asking for a mentor without having anything to give.  This is running rampant".  On a forum such as this where hundreds (?)of members are joining weekly or monthly, maybe thousands, a few dozens newbies asking for help on weekly basis may seem like it is running "rampant".  Or is it?

True, newbies sometimes don't realize what is expected of them and they have to be nudged or like one post mentioned some truly don't know how to navigate this forum yet.

You don't read anything negative?  Is there anything positive?  

The truly gracious seasoned members just ignore the newbies (uninformed post or whatever adjective you want to attach) giving them space and time to grow.  They don't complain instead choose to answer if and when they feel like they want to help. 

Then the truly, truly, truly gracious members neither complain nor expect anything in return for their help.  

You are the problem. How long have you been here? Some of us have been here for more than 10 years so we know what is still running rampant and what is not. You are proving the post in spades by your reaction. Is there anything positive? The post is to help newbies not step in the mud, which gets them no responses.

I also find it hilarious that you are intimating that I am not gracious. As if I should thank every newbie for gracing the forums. I don't work for BiggerPockets. I've been investing for more than 30 years and spend time in here to help people. Fragile people, like yourself, can only see the lens through their own self-worth.

 So that's it.  You are bigger and better than others.  And you are supposed to be a mentor?  I found a mentor here on BP and he certainly doesn't display such arrogance.  Your post is not about newbies.  It is all about you.  It's about how much better you are, how much longer you been here, your self worth is better than others.  You are so good you are able to help others.  

You clearly wrote in your post about getting something in return for helping.  Is that helping?  I am sure you did in the past and still do but your complaining an condescending tone about newbies is stark and glaring in your post.  You are using your good deed of past to justify your condescending post.  The fact that you find things "hilarious" is your arrogance on display.  Obviously the graciousness has hit a nerve.

Newbies are fragile, that I admit.  And you don't need to thank them for gracing this forum.  Just thank them for being a punching bag. Give you something to write about and feel good about yourself.  Using 'helping' as an excuse to write what you wrote doesn't hide what's (and who's) behind it.  I am sticking my neck out for newbies.  Then again, what do I know.  

I am the problem.  You been here longer.  You are the one helping people.  You get to decide what's hilarious, what 's not.  I am the fragile one.  And surely, my self worth is far below yours. More power to you.   

Get. Some. Help.

Re-read the original post.

Can't wait to hear how successful you are with that level of fragility.

[Carlos Ptriawan]

Quote from @David Dachtera:

Quote from @Carlos Ptriawan:

Quote from @Dan H.:

Quote from @David Dachtera:

@Jonathan Greene,

Good points, though some deserve a bit more discussion.

#1 and #3 are probably the best, though #1 is often just being new to any forum, REI related or not. Perhaps a forum-specific "First Post" template pinned to the head of the forum topic list could help new folks see how to structure an appropriate first inquiry.

#2 just about defines a "newbie": someone with little or nothing to offer other than futures. I often see this interpreted as being asked to work for nothing. My response to that would be "no one gets a paycheck their first day on a new job, aside from a signing bonus", and those signing bonuses often have tenure requirements for the payout. Just to bolster one's own credibility, offer to accept a portion of the newbie's first deal profits as a show of good faith. While the relationship may ultimately prove untenable, that will be YOUR payment for the education toward becoming an effective mentor.

#4 and #5 really just show up shortfalls in the Bigger Pockets Forums.

#4 shows up the need for a more effective way to search the forums. BP's search function can be likened to Google in it's infancy. Yes, it searches, but there's no way to identify the "head" of thread where a question first appears. It also doesn't seem to recognize a quoted string versus the individual words in a search query. Perhaps an option to only search topic lines versus searching the entire forum database would prove helpful.

#5 is sort of the reverse of #4. There is no option link a question to multiple forums. I had the same issue with AOL decades ago - they called it spam, I called it covering all the bases. A single question could relevant to multiple forums, but attempting to engage the denizens of multiple forums is considered "spam" (it isn't). For example, in the left-hand column on this page, under "Financial, Tax and Legal" are forum topics which often overlap such as "Tax, SDIRAs and & Cost Segregation", "Goals, Business Plans and Entities" and "Personal Finance" could all be relevant to someone's question, but there's (currently) no way to engage the denizens of all those forums without posting in all of them (what you want to call "spamming").

My $0.02 ...

I am shocked that a forum as big, popular, and profitable as bigger pockets does not have a more capable search function.

Biggerpocket is searchable publicly. No need to have search inside BP. We can use AI that summarize the answer from all 10+ years discussions.

I alwasy ask something like this AI prompt "In biggerpocket site, what's the recommended approach when........ .."

AI is a newcomer to the party. It has familiarity issues. It also has credibility and trust issues. 

 not really, I've been moving my life from typical-google-search to AI. Something that that take 3 hours is now 3 min job. I no longer ask question in forum, BP is summarizing everything.

welcome to new world what even google is being obsolote. lol.

[Jonathan Greene]

Quote from @Dan H.:

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Good post @Jonathan Greene!

My 2 gripes are: 

No simple thank you for advice that is insanely valuable

Everyone wants shortcuts and easy nowadays.....How many times do we hear - "Is there an App for ________?"

I think sometimes the newbies do not see the value of the information or offer of help.

there was a thread on starting on storage units by @henry Clark.  It had so much detail based on years of lessons learned.  The person the thread was primarily dedicated to simply was not following the advice accurately enough or being too lazy.  IMO the info that Henry presented in the thread could have formed the basis of a guru course worth thousands of dollars.  

just as the person it was directed to would not do what was requested, he also appeared to not fully value the great guidance offered.  

I recently was finishing a rehab that in terms of budget was my worst ever (not ideal at my experience level but shows even those with experience have learning opportunities) but was still feeling generous to a local newbie.  I told him what day I expected to finish the rehab and to contact me at that time and I would treat him to a burrito and beer to discuss local RE.  Note I have 8 digits of local RE and my net worth increases over 7 digits per year for at least the last handful of years.  If I judge my hourly on net worth, my hourly value is in excess of $500/hour.  He never contacted me.  When I was starting out I would have loved to have someone like me treat me to a lunch to discuss RE.  I would have placed the date on the calendar and on that date I would have inquired if the offer was still available and whatever date the experienced person had, I would have made sure I was available.  

I do not make such offers often and am surprised when someone does not make use of the offer.  At worst case, they would have gotten a free meal and beer for some time and if what we discussed had no value to them, they could ignore it.  Best case is they get a free meal and walk away with a lot of valuable information.  

some newbies will never not be newbies.  

This is exactly it. You know it in how they respond. They turn the tables onto someone offering free advice saying that's not what they asked for and who asked them. (open forum) It's hilarious some of the responses we see across the board and the few in here prove the point over and over.

[Jonathan Greene]

Quote from @Kevin S.:

@FR W.

Jonathan expects others to read his long post but responding yours' with 'TLDR'.  

Get a room.

Who expects anyone to read anything? You read the original post and everything else. Feel free not to, as I did with your soliloquy.

[FR W.]

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

Quote from @Kevin S.:

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

Quote from @Kevin S.:

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

Quote from @Kevin S.:

@David Dachtera

A well balanced response.  You took the time to dig deeper and come up with more plausible explanation than just shining 'more' negative light on newbies.  More respect to you.  

Newbies are newbies for a reason.  Yes, some will stay newbies and some will move up.  

I don't read anything negative in the original post aginst newbies. It's there to help people. There are good newbies who try and learn and a plethora of bad newbies who are just being time sucks and lazy. It's easy to find good newbies, but if they all can take the tips to help them get better answers, that was the point.

 I don't disagree with things you posted but you certainly grouped all newbies together for one.

"Asking for a mentor without having anything to give.  This is running rampant".  On a forum such as this where hundreds (?)of members are joining weekly or monthly, maybe thousands, a few dozens newbies asking for help on weekly basis may seem like it is running "rampant".  Or is it?

True, newbies sometimes don't realize what is expected of them and they have to be nudged or like one post mentioned some truly don't know how to navigate this forum yet.

You don't read anything negative?  Is there anything positive?  

The truly gracious seasoned members just ignore the newbies (uninformed post or whatever adjective you want to attach) giving them space and time to grow.  They don't complain instead choose to answer if and when they feel like they want to help. 

Then the truly, truly, truly gracious members neither complain nor expect anything in return for their help.  

You are the problem. How long have you been here? Some of us have been here for more than 10 years so we know what is still running rampant and what is not. You are proving the post in spades by your reaction. Is there anything positive? The post is to help newbies not step in the mud, which gets them no responses.

I also find it hilarious that you are intimating that I am not gracious. As if I should thank every newbie for gracing the forums. I don't work for BiggerPockets. I've been investing for more than 30 years and spend time in here to help people. Fragile people, like yourself, can only see the lens through their own self-worth.

 So that's it.  You are bigger and better than others.  And you are supposed to be a mentor?  I found a mentor here on BP and he certainly doesn't display such arrogance.  Your post is not about newbies.  It is all about you.  It's about how much better you are, how much longer you been here, your self worth is better than others.  You are so good you are able to help others.  

You clearly wrote in your post about getting something in return for helping.  Is that helping?  I am sure you did in the past and still do but your complaining an condescending tone about newbies is stark and glaring in your post.  You are using your good deed of past to justify your condescending post.  The fact that you find things "hilarious" is your arrogance on display.  Obviously the graciousness has hit a nerve.

Newbies are fragile, that I admit.  And you don't need to thank them for gracing this forum.  Just thank them for being a punching bag. Give you something to write about and feel good about yourself.  Using 'helping' as an excuse to write what you wrote doesn't hide what's (and who's) behind it.  I am sticking my neck out for newbies.  Then again, what do I know.  

I am the problem.  You been here longer.  You are the one helping people.  You get to decide what's hilarious, what 's not.  I am the fragile one.  And surely, my self worth is far below yours. More power to you.   

Get. Some. Help.

Re-read the original post.

Can't wait to hear how successful you are with that level of fragility.

The level of professionalism is astounding (and childish).  Name calling... insults.  Are you the only one who can have an opinion?  Or an idea?  Or a point of view?  

[Kevin S.]

@Dan H.

Thank you, Dan.  The wise one has risen and the wise one has spoken.   

[FR W.]

Quote from @Dan H.:

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

Quote from @Mike Dymski:

Unfortunately, most of the questions asked illustrate little to no advance work (#1 and #4).  That is not a newbie, it's a neverbie.  I'm not saying this to be condescending.  It's just reality...if we can't read a couple of books, listen to podcasts, or perform basic searches in advance and then ask better questions, there is no way in heck we are going to buy a property.  

Lack of available information is not what prevents us from doing stuff...information is everywhere (school, books, podcasts, webinars, forums).  Lack of persistence/effort/need does.

“If more information was the answer, then we'd all be billionaires with perfect abs.”
― Derek Sivers

I've always said the worst question a real estate investor can get from someone looking to invest is, "How do I become a real estate investor?" This shows you want the shortest short-cut and don't want to do any work. Also, you will never do what we tell you to do because it's hard, not easy, so...

My son who 1) is not stupid, he is graduating from UCSB next month 2) has been around my rentals and me his entire life 3) in high school had a fairly successful handyman business with a dozen part-time employees, indicated he wanted to be a real estate investor.   I asked what that meant and he said like you do.  I asked what he thought I do and he indicated you buy, fix up, and rent units.  I asked how he was going to purchase a property.  He had no idea what was required.  He did not know about low cost options or raising money.  He knew little of loans.  I told him if he thought Cutco sales was difficult he was in for an awakening trying to raise money without a track record of success.  I asked what he knew about local LL laws and more incorrect than correct info was his response. 

To be a successful RE investor requires a fair amount of knowledge.  I see absurd maintenance/cap ex numbers from a majority of RE investors (even those with modest experience).  I seldom see new investors that understand finance options available and the pros/cons of each.  Very few newbie investors are aware of value add opportunities other than rehabs.   Many newbies do not do basic underwriting.   If rent is greater than PITI, they believe they have a cash flow positive property.  

I recognize there is a lot to learn to being a successful RE investor (or in recent times they can get lucky due to a crazy RE market).  I, therefore, take no offense at the question but I also realize there is no way I can answer the question for them.  There are many RE books that usually cover a single RE investment concept.  There is no way anyone can answer the question without simply referencing many sources of information.  

I we were all newbies at some time. Most of the mistakes above I made. I did no underwriting. I did not know of BRRRR but did my first few brrrrs before I knew there was a name for it. House hacking was owning with roommates. I had no concept of actual maintenance/cap ex costs. Value add was paint, flooring and a little gardening (as though that would add much value). I had no idea of effort required on a brrrr.

today I had a tenant claim I had to give him 3 months notice (I gave him 2 months notice but was only required to give one month notice).  It is important to know the laws as tenants will say anything they desire is the law. 

I want to be tolerant of newbies, even those that appeared to put forth no significant effort to self educate.  I recognize there is a lot to know. Being tolerant is not difficult. 

Thanks, Dan.  Tolerance is not hard... if doing your part by making the world a better place is a priority for you :)

[Kevin S.]

@Jonathan Greene

You don't have to wait.  I am already successful in what I do.  In my world you would be lucky if you could be successful in 60 yrs.  In my world we don't insult or have name calling.  I wish you another successful 30 yrs in what you do.  

[Jonathan Greene]

These are classic newbie responses from the two town criers. They lose their mind in a response post, and then when you respond to that, they pretend like they are so offended by it. This is fragility on display at the broadest level. Fragile people respond to the small things in the responses, not the meat and potatoes.

[Carlos Ptriawan]

Quote from @Kevin S.:

@Dan H.

Thank you, Dan.  The wise one has risen and the wise one has spoken.   

 The problem with forums like this or Reditt is that this is opinion-based and may impact someone's business. If I say something bad about certain investments, there would be folks attacking us/me LOL. For example on the thread about syndication, if I say something pro about the  GP, the LP side is attacking me. If I say something bad about the LP, the GP is hitting me too. Say something bad about a city and their realtor is ready to bring you to the court ha ha lol

Just enjoy these nuances. These are just opinions so if someone has answers that I may not like I just skip it lol.

Also since this is just opinion some opinions are only good in theory and some advice are good in practice (but may against the law/the norm).

[Carlos Ptriawan]

Now that I am very accustomed to the most individual contributors here in BP , I can select based on their expertise, what their strengths at. Everyone is different in the forum. For someone like Jay I wrote down his advice for "investment criteria", for  Dave, I save his 1031 analysis. Dan is excellent in his market. Some of the answers in BP related to "technicality" and "financial" is extremely good. You don't get it everywhere else, so respecting those answers is crucial in my opinion.

This is why Also I prefer AI that do lot more algorithms in "Natural Language" rather than AI LLM which specialises more in open-ended questions. You tend to get a better and "truer" answer from forums like BP compared to even newspapers or journalism.

Only Twitter is a serious competitor for BP imo.

[Kevin S.]

I like Plaks' contributions to this forum.  Brandt is the one I respect.  You have posted good comments and I read yours.  I read Dan's comments too.  There are few others (actually not too many) I like reading, their names I cannot recall at this very moment.  Informative, sometime humorous (makes it fun), non judgmental.  Thanks to all these (few :)) guys.

[Jim K.]

Quote from @Kevin S.:

@Jonathan Greene

You don't have to wait.  I am already successful in what I do.  In my world you would be lucky if you could be successful in 60 yrs.  In my world we don't insult or have name calling.  I wish you another successful 30 yrs in what you do.  

WTF man, stop it already with the butthurt and go do you.

[Jim K.]

Quote from @FR W.:

The level of professionalism is astounding (and childish).  Name calling... insults.  Are you the only one who can have an opinion?  Or an idea?  Or a point of view?  

And yet, Jonathan's not hiding his identity behind initials and no picture.

[Chris Seveney]

@Jonathan Greene

See #3 of the initial post 🤣🤣🤣

That was an easy theory for the original author of this post to prove

[FR W.]

Quote from @Jim K.:

Quote from @FR W.:

The level of professionalism is astounding (and childish).  Name calling... insults.  Are you the only one who can have an opinion?  Or an idea?  Or a point of view?  

And yet, Jonathan's not hiding his identity behind initials and no picture.

I don't typically respond to these types of comments, simply because they are so funny and childish, but, I'll make your weekend.  FYI, I'm not hiding.  Who are you, anyway?  His spokesperson?  Oh, yes, you're one of the ones who are here to to applaud everything he does so he doesn't go after YOU.  Have an amazing weekend, dear!  :)  THE END. That means, #YouAreDismissed.

[Joe S.]

Quote from @Dan H.:

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Good post @Jonathan Greene!

My 2 gripes are: 

No simple thank you for advice that is insanely valuable

Everyone wants shortcuts and easy nowadays.....How many times do we hear - "Is there an App for ________?"

I think sometimes the newbies do not see the value of the information or offer of help.

there was a thread on starting on storage units by @henry Clark.  It had so much detail based on years of lessons learned.  The person the thread was primarily dedicated to simply was not following the advice accurately enough or being too lazy.  IMO the info that Henry presented in the thread could have formed the basis of a guru course worth thousands of dollars.  

just as the person it was directed to would not do what was requested, he also appeared to not fully value the great guidance offered.  

I recently was finishing a rehab that in terms of budget was my worst ever (not ideal at my experience level but shows even those with experience have learning opportunities) but was still feeling generous to a local newbie.  I told him what day I expected to finish the rehab and to contact me at that time and I would treat him to a burrito and beer to discuss local RE.  Note I have 8 digits of local RE and my net worth increases over 7 digits per year for at least the last handful of years.  If I judge my hourly on net worth, my hourly value is in excess of $500/hour.  He never contacted me.  When I was starting out I would have loved to have someone like me treat me to a lunch to discuss RE.  I would have placed the date on the calendar and on that date I would have inquired if the offer was still available and whatever date the experienced person had, I would have made sure I was available.  

I do not make such offers often and am surprised when someone does not make use of the offer.  At worst case, they would have gotten a free meal and beer for some time and if what we discussed had no value to them, they could ignore it.  Best case is they get a free meal and walk away with a lot of valuable information.  

some newbies will never not be newbies.  

 I like the fact that you said your hourly worth was at least $500. 
 

[Bradley Buxton]

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

These are here to help you make better connections in the forums. It's ok to be new, but if you consider these five tips, you will get much better responses to your questions.

1. Writing too little or too much in a post looking for answers. There is a happy medium out there. If you write a novel, most of us won't read it because it's just too much. If you write too little, we have nothing to go on. Ask one question and tell everyone what you have done up to this point to get the answers. Also, give relevant information on rates, prices, square footage, etc.

2. Asking for a mentor without having anything to give. This is running rampant. It's great to get in the forums and look to make connections, but when you only put your hand out and ask for help and have nothing to give back, you are only going to get people who are going to pitch you. A few locals may reach out (more likely local agents), but you will never hear back if you hop on that call and only want to take from them.

3. Being fragile when you don't get the responses you want. If someone doesn't give you the answer you want and you clap back, your time in the forums will be short. Not because you will get removed but because you aren't open to advice. Sometimes, you will ask one question, but pros will have other questions to see if you are even asking the right question. Open forums aren't the best option if you are prone to fragility.

4. Asking questions without researching how often the same question has been asked. See "Should I start an LLC?" as an example. If you want to get the best responses, don't ask a question that has been asked a million times. Do your due diligence in the forums, looking for other answers, and use those to frame a better question.

5. Posting the same question in multiple forums. This is a definite no-no. Please stop. Pick one forum where your question makes the most sense. If it's a good question, we will find it. If you post the same question in several forums, we all know it's spam. You know it's spam. Don't spam.

If you are an experienced commenter here, let everyone know what you think of these to help them even more. Add some of your own.

If you are new, please use these to help yourself get better answers here.

 I think of these forums when answering questions for newbies as a service to help and guide others, whether in their questions or with how to ask or answers. If there is a question I don't like or how it's asked I don't answer it. I feel no obligation and want to foster a welcoming environment where people can ask "stupid" questions. Real estate can be scary and hard and some have a hard time formulating the perfect question to ask. Make it easier for people to learn and feel welcome in the community.  I also agree that spam and guru's offering get rich quick have no place here where people are trying to learn. Also it does help new people more when they to do research and then ask a question to get better responses which I think what this post is getting at.  I keep in mind that every one has a different situation and experience. 

[Jonathan Greene]

Quote from @FR W.:

Quote from @Jim K.:

Quote from @FR W.:

The level of professionalism is astounding (and childish).  Name calling... insults.  Are you the only one who can have an opinion?  Or an idea?  Or a point of view?  

And yet, Jonathan's not hiding his identity behind initials and no picture.

I don't typically respond to these types of comments, simply because they are so funny and childish, but, I'll make your weekend.  FYI, I'm not hiding.  Who are you, anyway?  His spokesperson?  Oh, yes, you're one of the ones who are here to to applaud everything he does so he doesn't go after YOU.  Have an amazing weekend, dear!  :)  THE END. That means, #YouAreDismissed.

1. No photo
2. No name
3. Saying you don't respond when literally that is all you have been doing for days on here.
4. Chastising someone else for not agreeing with you.

No one is worried about me going after them. Do you not understand how this works? I made a very helpful post (see original) and you keep showing up crying and hyperventilating online.

You are embarrassing yourself. You will never "win" this debate, nor general favor here. Just pack it in. You are a lurker - no photo, no name.

[Jonathan Greene]

Quote from @Bradley Buxton:

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

These are here to help you make better connections in the forums. It's ok to be new, but if you consider these five tips, you will get much better responses to your questions.

1. Writing too little or too much in a post looking for answers. There is a happy medium out there. If you write a novel, most of us won't read it because it's just too much. If you write too little, we have nothing to go on. Ask one question and tell everyone what you have done up to this point to get the answers. Also, give relevant information on rates, prices, square footage, etc.

2. Asking for a mentor without having anything to give. This is running rampant. It's great to get in the forums and look to make connections, but when you only put your hand out and ask for help and have nothing to give back, you are only going to get people who are going to pitch you. A few locals may reach out (more likely local agents), but you will never hear back if you hop on that call and only want to take from them.

3. Being fragile when you don't get the responses you want. If someone doesn't give you the answer you want and you clap back, your time in the forums will be short. Not because you will get removed but because you aren't open to advice. Sometimes, you will ask one question, but pros will have other questions to see if you are even asking the right question. Open forums aren't the best option if you are prone to fragility.

4. Asking questions without researching how often the same question has been asked. See "Should I start an LLC?" as an example. If you want to get the best responses, don't ask a question that has been asked a million times. Do your due diligence in the forums, looking for other answers, and use those to frame a better question.

5. Posting the same question in multiple forums. This is a definite no-no. Please stop. Pick one forum where your question makes the most sense. If it's a good question, we will find it. If you post the same question in several forums, we all know it's spam. You know it's spam. Don't spam.

If you are an experienced commenter here, let everyone know what you think of these to help them even more. Add some of your own.

If you are new, please use these to help yourself get better answers here.

 I think of these forums when answering questions for newbies as a service to help and guide others, whether in their questions or with how to ask or answers. If there is a question I don't like or how it's asked I don't answer it. I feel no obligation and want to foster a welcoming environment where people can ask "stupid" questions. Real estate can be scary and hard and some have a hard time formulating the perfect question to ask. Make it easier for people to learn and feel welcome in the community.  I also agree that spam and guru's offering get rich quick have no place here where people are trying to learn. Also it does help new people more when they to do research and then ask a question to get better responses which I think what this post is getting at.  I keep in mind that every one has a different situation and experience. 

The original post is a direct service to help newbies navigate the site better and to make it much more likely they get an answer. Anything else read into it by newbie babies is hyperbolic and fragile. It's literally a roadmap to get better answers so they don't keep posting and getting no response. I do think everyone has a different experience, but that's often colored by how much they are invested. The majority of people who spaz in the forums have no photos, no real name, and close their accounts in a month.

[Seth Rosellini]

Wow. I really appreciated this post, I'm fairly new here and haven't posted anything in the forum yet, so I'm definitely glad I read this first. 

Thank you for helping the newbies like myself!

Seth Rosellini 

[Dan H.]

Quote from @Joe S.:

Quote from @Dan H.:

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Good post @Jonathan Greene!

My 2 gripes are: 

No simple thank you for advice that is insanely valuable

Everyone wants shortcuts and easy nowadays.....How many times do we hear - "Is there an App for ________?"

I think sometimes the newbies do not see the value of the information or offer of help.

there was a thread on starting on storage units by @henry Clark.  It had so much detail based on years of lessons learned.  The person the thread was primarily dedicated to simply was not following the advice accurately enough or being too lazy.  IMO the info that Henry presented in the thread could have formed the basis of a guru course worth thousands of dollars.  

just as the person it was directed to would not do what was requested, he also appeared to not fully value the great guidance offered.  

I recently was finishing a rehab that in terms of budget was my worst ever (not ideal at my experience level but shows even those with experience have learning opportunities) but was still feeling generous to a local newbie.  I told him what day I expected to finish the rehab and to contact me at that time and I would treat him to a burrito and beer to discuss local RE.  Note I have 8 digits of local RE and my net worth increases over 7 digits per year for at least the last handful of years.  If I judge my hourly on net worth, my hourly value is in excess of $500/hour.  He never contacted me.  When I was starting out I would have loved to have someone like me treat me to a lunch to discuss RE.  I would have placed the date on the calendar and on that date I would have inquired if the offer was still available and whatever date the experienced person had, I would have made sure I was available.  

I do not make such offers often and am surprised when someone does not make use of the offer.  At worst case, they would have gotten a free meal and beer for some time and if what we discussed had no value to them, they could ignore it.  Best case is they get a free meal and walk away with a lot of valuable information.  

some newbies will never not be newbies.  

 I like the fact that you said your hourly worth was at least $500. 
 

 If my net worth increases at least $1m/year (which it does) my hourly is in excess of $500 hour not even subtracting for taxes.  $1m/2000 work hours is $500.  In reality I do pay some taxes so in excess of $500/hour.  Also I work less than 2000 hours.  I likely make over $1k per hour of work.  Yet a newbie does not take me up on an offer for me to buy him Lunch and a beer.  

maybe what I would have told him was not going to be useful to him, but there was only one way he was going to find out and he still would have got a free lunch out of it. 

I wish him the best but suspect he will not be that successful in RE.  Maybe I will be wrong.  

Best wishes

[Dan H.]

Quote from @Jim K.:

Quote from @FR W.:

The level of professionalism is astounding (and childish).  Name calling... insults.  Are you the only one who can have an opinion?  Or an idea?  Or a point of view?  

And yet, Jonathan's not hiding his identity behind initials and no picture.

 If I had to do it over again, I would have used “Dan H”.  with my last name I am very easy to identify.  There are also many weird people out there.  Some that believe all LL are evil and that they should not expect to make money for the risk, investment, and effort of investing in residential RE.  I continuously run into more people like this (I am sure living in Ca does not help).  What virtually all these people have in common is they know less than $hit about RE.  They feel they have 0 opportunity but at the conferences and REA meeting I go to I meet young people with a different attitude that appear to be on a great path to success.  

I recently attended the MTR summit.  There were a lot of young hustlers.  2 local girls worked supporting the summit to go.  They made a good pitch to try to manage my STRs.  I loved their enthusiasm and hustle.  As near as I can determine they own no Properties but co-host some and are eager to grow.  Their mindset was so different than the socialist that believe housing is a divine right and they should be able to live wherever they want.  I know who will be more successful and it is not those that think they should be provided free/low cost housing in San diego for doing virtually nothing. 

My point is I understand wanting some anonymity.  I wish I had more anonymity with respect to BP. 

Anyone at BP want to help getting my user name changed to “Dan h” or “Dan R H”?