How did you start in Real Estate Investing?

[Alex D.]

I’m wondering if my story is common amongst real estate investors…

I spent almost a year and a half attending real estate investing seminars organized by my local REIA and I looked at maybe 40-50 properties before buying a little single-family residence, rehabbing it, and renting it out for positive cash flow.

My problem was “analysis paralysis” where I spent way too much time number crunching and worrying about all the “what if” scenarios in Excel. I finally pulled the trigger on my first deal when my wife’s cousin, an experienced investor, looked at a deal I was eyeing and gave me a thumbs up on the numbers (including estimated rehab costs after walking through the place with me) and that gave me the confidence to go forward.

What challenges or fears did you overcome in order to do your first real estate investment deal?

(A) not enough money 

(B) a fear of making mistakes and losing money 

(C) “analysis paralysis” 

(D) all of the above

(E) other (please explain)