Investors or Deal First? Where to begin?

[Jonathan Dicent]

I'm looking for someone's professional advice on this. I'm interested in starting a Limited Partnership to purchase large apartment buildings here in NYC as a buy and hold strategy for income/cash flow but not sure if I should begin with setting up the LP and begin sourcing investors/partners, or attempt to source potential deals first. Full disclosure: I'm a complete newbie, but I figured if you're going to buy a house you can buy an apartment building, and if you're going to buy an apartment building you can buy a large one. I figured this way the income potential is more attractive to investors and if there are a few vacancies here and there it doesn't completely kill the investment. My fear is to not be taken seriously by investors due to my lack of experience or not to be taken seriously by sellers for the same reason and lack of capital. By trying to implement this strategy(buy & hold large apartment buildings for cashflow) would I be in over my head as a newbie? If not what would come first, investors or sourcing deals? Whichever it would be how should one begin? Appreciate the advice in advance.