Newbie here needing advice!

[Connor Ryan]

Hello BP community! I am an aspiring real estate investor currently living in Denver, CO and working in finance. In a few months I will be relocating to San Diego with my girlfriend.

We aren’t at the point in our relationship to buy a home together so we will rent for the first year to get a feel for the area. In the meantime I am soaking up as much real estate books, podcasts, and networking as possible to continue to gain knowledge and to see what strategies are the most appealing. I have about 25k saved and excellent credit.

So far the out of state Brrrr strategy sounds appealing for a few reasons. 1. It’s more affordable for me to buy properties in the Midwest. 2. I know the St. Louis area well because I lived there most of my life and feel comfortable with my connections there. Eventually I’d like to househack a duplex in San Diego but for now renting makes sense while I get used to the area. I have long term goals of scaling into a real estate business.

So this leads me to a couple questions. What advice would you give to someone in my situation trying to get started in real estate investing? Is it smart to start a business account at a bank now with the goals of scaling larger in a few years? Is it smart to wait and househack a duplex to get started or is it possible to start investing without owning a home? Should I look at forming partnerships or mentor relationships?

I’d love to hear feedback and I’m open to anything! Thank you!