To the lurkers: How to weed out landlord dreamers in the forums

[Jim K.]

Gentle lurkers,

If you've been lurking around here in the forums long enough, you learn that there is a clear distinction between those people who post things from a place of knowledge and experience, and those people who post things from Fantasy Island, where they are capable landlords with long histories of property ownership behind them. Because Bigger Pockets doesn't engage in verification, anyone can say anything about who they are and what they do, and live their aspirational fantasies out in full here. This becomes a problem when someone who is starting out actually needs actionable advice to get things actually done in the real world. Who should you take advice from?

So I would suggest that when tracking anyone's posts and wondering if what they say will hold water any better than a rusting pipe, you consider the following statement.

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At least 50% of my work happens in the gap between statements like:

"Someone told me these guys can get it done..."
"I think these are the right people to call..."
"A simple phone call should be enough..."
"Hey, just call them, how hard can it be?"

and the actual completion of anything

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One of the sure signs of a landlord dreamer in real estate, whose advice comes fresh off the heights of BS Mountain, is the persistent inability to offer anything cogent on what happens AFTER your phone stops ringing on an initial call. What happens in face-to-face relationships. What happens in complicated personality conflicts: over services, over rent payments, in rooms sitting across from men and women who wear judicial robes. All of this is a huge part of property management, and any "expert" who minimizes it or, worse, act as if it doesn't exist, just doesn't know what they're talking about.

Hope this helps. If you disagree, by all means, let me know why.

[Jonathan R McLaughlin]

@Jim K. To your point, be wary of people who lead with their chin…their first option is always “my way or the highway” or “don’t back down” and they look to fight rather than solve.

Their posts are full of the need for control, fear masquerading as authority and swearing the small stuff. They may even bear a similarity to the language of more experienced folks who use the same tools, but it’s the difference between calmly hammering a nail and wildly waving a hammer.