Where to start?????

[Danielle Knight]

I really would like to get into Real Estate Investing.  I attended a seminar a couple of weeks ago that turned out to be a scam.  I did learn about Portfolio Lending which sounds interesting.  I am interested in buying and holding, flipping, and wholesaling.  I have no clue where to even start.  Should I look for properties first, put in an offer and then try to get a portfolio loan?  Or should I attempt to get the financing first and then go out and look for properties.  As a side note, I have excellent credit.  Just trying to figure out the best option with the least amount of out of pocket expense for me.  

[Aaron Howell]

@Danielle Knight you're in the right place !  Welcome to Bigger Pockets.  Check out the Ultimate Beginners Guide under the education tab.  Also, associate with some people locally.  You'll find you'll learn a lot from them.  Offer to buy them a cup of coffee sometime.

Are you living in a house with a mortgage now or renting ?  If you are buying your first property altogether I would check with a local realtor first and let them know what you're looking for.  At some point in that process you should probably talk to a lender to get things squared away in that department.  The rest they can baby step you through.

If you're looking for your first place to buy (that you'll live in also) you should think about "House Hacking".  It may be an easy way to accumulate equity in your first house along with getting a sweet loan deal.