Starting wholesaling, no money, determined

[John Hein]

Hi,

I have a previous post about how I am looking to become a full time real estate investor. Anyway, I have considered a few paths, learning to flip and wholesaling. Wholesaling seems to be more of the path for me. My girlfriend is graduating this may with a decently high paying job and also starting real estate investing with me, so we do have plenty of income. 

Anyway, we want to start wholesaling NOW. The problem is everyone suggests things like “but a website” or “direct mail”. Way too expensive and complicated for someone that is just starting this business. It’s like buying tools before you know how to use them. So, I met a very experienced investor at a meetup this past week. He suggested simply driving around and looking for “for sale by owner signs”. This is how we plan to start. Any other recommendations? 

It’s often mentioned that in this business you have 2 things that you can use, your money and your time. As of right now we don’t really have any money, but plenty of time. So how can we best use this time. 

Finally, I should mention that I am in no way opposed to marketing. I simply want to learn the business before blindly spending, and almost certainly wasting money. 

Thank you! This forum has been a huge help so far.