REI - I'm new at this

[Tra'Mell Taylor]

Hello everyone! 

Just a bit of backstory here: 

Around this time last year i began my journey into REI with the hopes and aspirations of any newbie in the game. MY first plan was to gain capital by wholesaling and then venture off into other lanes of investing once i built up enough capital. I began going to local REIA meetings for learning and networking & building a buyers list, learning how to find good leads and all that good stuff. Everything was going pretty great until the rug was pulled from under me during what I thought was going to be my first deal under my belt. I cant lie I was pretty discouraged and was thinking "maybe that's a sign and this isn't for me?"

Since then i've just contemplated trying again and as of recently i decided "its either now or never, time to take action!" So i've jumped back up on my horse and I'm going to ride out again on another journey but with the same mission. I'm constantly in the library grabbing books, listening to podcasts, reading the forums & engaging on here, webinars, etc. Just trying to gain as much knowledge as possible and put it to use.

This time around i'm putting my all into this and not stopping until i see some results. With that being said i'd like to reach out to see if anyone knows the best way to start off from square one. I always hear mixed reviews on if someone starting out should get their license or not. I think it would give me an advantage, but others believe I can learn the same stuff just through experience alone (as my end goal is not to become an agent). What do you professionals think? I'm interested in hearing about where and how you started out as an investor and the steps you took to get where you are now. Are your stories similar to mine? Should I look for a coach? and if so how do I go about finding one?

I'd like to say hello to all and feel free to PM me for networking or any questions!