Why is getting started so hard?!?

[Nelly R.]

I've been listening to a gazillion podcasts, reading books, articles, running numbers, day in and out.....ANYTHING to educate myself on this process! Got my money/funding in place... I even worked with a realtor in my area and started looking at a few homes. Whyyyyyy is finding a buy and hold property in my area so hard?! I know my budget isn't the highest for my first place but, I feel like I'm doing all of the work (finding my own houses, crunching the numbers, asking to go out and look, following up on offers made, etc.) and by the time she gets back to me with the MLS listing, her availability, or whether or not the offer was submitted, the home could be far gone. Do realtors feel like it's a waste of time putting in the work for less expensive homes? Should I just go the "FSBO" or auction route, get an attorney/title company and eliminate the realtor process all together? Is this one of the reasons RE investors get their real estate license....to eliminate the need to wait for other realtors? Sorry for the rant and I know patience is key.....but I'm just getting frustrated with this process thus far!

[Nathan Gesner]

It sounds like everything is in place but you can't find the deal. Your REALTOR isn't working hard, probably because you're asking a lot and offering little in the way of compensation. So try to cast a wider net!

1. Join a real estate investor group. See if you can find some private, off-market deals or someone to partner with.

2. Driving for dollars. Use the search feature in the upper-right and you'll get an idea of how it works.

3. Tell everyone you meet that you are looking for an investment. They don't need details and probably won't remember them so just tell them you're looking for a rental property.

4. Put an ad in the local facebook classifieds.

Right now you are probably doing the same thing as a hundred other people in your area. Do something different and find the deals before they hit the MLS.