First Post on BiggerPockets!

[Matt Dougherty]

Hi everyone,

I am very new to the real estate investment world and am currently trying to educate myself as much as possible on the topic before I actually dive into a deal of any kind.

A little bit about my background/interests: I graduated with a finance degree in the spring of 2014 and have been employed with a company in the Cleveland area for the last 2 years. I am very interested in real estate investment as a vehicle to generate passive income. Initially, I am most intrigued by long term buy and hold rental properties that are preferably multi-family, but I am open to any opportunity if I feel like it is good one.

The reason for my post: I am currently on a 6 month business assignment in Shanghai and then moving to Luxembourg and while I am away I want to dedicate a significant amount of time to studying all there is to know about REI before I get back to the US. I have currently been reading through the forums, blogs, and articles that appear on BiggerPockets, listening to the podcast (both new and old episodes), looking into basic tax benefits of REI, and running mock up analysis of current properties I find through MLS listings. Are there any specific books and topics I should read/focus on to lay a good knowledge based foundation while I am away?

I am very serious about getting involved in REI and any help/recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I really want to hit the ground running when I get home.

(sorry for writing a short novel)

Thank you!

[Brian Hosier]

Hi Matt Dougherty a huge welcome to the BP community! I think your plan of immersing yourself in education and becoming a buy and hold investor is very sound. Most seasoned investors look back on their business and wish they had "bought more and sold less!" Flipping and wholesaling are sexy for TV but poor from a tax perspective.

The BP site and the thousands of investors that connect to it are in my humble opinion the best type of real estate education anywhere. The podcasts, webinars, experts, millions of posts, forums, marketplace, etc. can provide you with a better education than any course. The cost of a Pro membership is almost free if you use the resources to help you on your first deal. I am not getting paid by Joshua Dorkin to say this but I just believe it! Be sure to reach out frequently to the BP community now and in the future.