Success through BP: 3,000th Post: 4 years, a Summit, $1MM+ in RE, 1 wholesale probate deal, 8 rehabs, 1 master lease, 50 Airbnb guests, & 100 tenant headaches later..

[J. Martin]

As I noticed my last post tick over to 2,999 posts since I joined the site, I thought back to reflect on my introduction to Bigger Pockets so many years ago, what it has done for me, and my biggest mistake  :)  What has BP done for you?

When I first joined Bigger Pockets on March 14, 2011, I had:
- Negative Net Worth (Credit card debt accumulated during college)
- No Real Estate Assets (let alone any assets of any sort)
- Only enough cash on hand to live on (w/ a decent government job)

Since then, I have:

- purchased and held onto 4 good deals with 12 units,
- rehabbed 8 units,
- got 4 additional units under a master lease,
- hosted 50 Airbnb guests,
- threw a big Summit with some BP greats,
- started and operate the biggest Real Estate Investment Group in San Francisco,
- volunteered to help the neighborhood, and met the Mayor of Oakland in the process
- helped mentor other investors and was assisted by others,
- dealt with 2 tenants who didn’t complete their leases,
- 1 clogged toilet I plunged myself,
- 1 police visit to a property,
- some water intrusion & an insurance claim,
- and some tenant headaches.. 
 And they were all totally worth it!!!

@Johnson H. inspired me to sign up on BP, and that someone in my similar circumstances could go out there and make it happen!

My biggest mistake: Not getting active on BP sooner! I didn’t realize the valuable wealth of information and exchanges going on, and floundered around by myself for more than a year still, when I finally bought my first 4plex. I think I could have picked up an extra $1MM+ in RE in this last downturn if I would have boosted my knowledge and connections with BP earlier! And be retired by now!

Since I got more active on Bigger Pockets, I have received help from amazing investors from San Jose to San Francisco and beyond. I am in a long-term RE partnership with another BP member now, and purchased a wholesale deal from another BP member. I have borrowed money from several BP members. I have learned things I never thought possible about RE investing, and have the knowledge resources and capital in my network to get almost any great deal done.

As of today, I have:
More Net Worth! (at least a few hundred thousand in just the last 3 years.)
Over $1MM in RE Assets! (my share) b/t 5 addresses at 4 properties in the Bay Area (4plexes, duplex, SFHs)
Enough cash reserves to cover risk, and have still a bit more to invest.

My Advice to Every Investor Out There:
- Get more active on BP!
- Meet more investors face-to-face locally!
- Help other investors, and you never know what will come back around!

A big shout-out to @Brandon Turner, Josh, and all the amazing folks at BP – especially all the other investors out there! Without this site, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and if I would have been active on it sooner, I think I would be retired by now! Here's to BP! :)

What has BP done for you?

[Account Closed]

It's interesting when you share your successes, some people call it bragging. When you share your mistakes, they call you an idiot. When you're poor, they disdain you.  When you're rich, they're jealous and don't like you.

When you're doing well, they say you're filthy rich. What's so filthy about being rich? Would you rather be filthy rich or filthy poor? While the haters are spending time hating, I'd rather spend my time thinking of ways to better my life and my future generations. Just let the haters hate.