Newbie Just Getting Started

[Brandon Souza]

Hello, all. I'm an off-on reader here at BP (have been for months) and I have gained tremendous levels of insight from very many perspectives here on real estate investing, and I have decided that cash flow is my ultimate goal (building net worth is well and good, but cash flow is king to people like myself who want to invest not just in real estate, but in other ventures as well). This is my first post.

I'm from the Central Valley of California, near Fresno closer to the Lemoore Naval Air Station. I'm 35 years old and a disabled military veteran. I have worked some [too many?] manual labor-intensive jobs that have rendered me unable to work for the present moment (for the last year and a half), and while I have been reading and learning as much as I can about real estate, the fact of the matter is that this is a new skill that I am learning myself. I'm no longer about trading my time for an hourly wage. I'm also aware of my financial habits needing an overhaul while on low income.

This first deal will be the first step to a life of freedom that I haven't truly known.

After reading so many different points of view, I decided to settle upon cash flow as my sole goal, though net worth is a pretty good thing for which to strive.

My biggest fear is just doing the first deal due to very many unknown factors and a very elementary grasp of calculating NOI. My biggest problem is my ADHD kicking into high gear when confronted with vast unknowns (probably overthinking) due to the opinions of others around me who haven't touched real estate in their lives. I would like to prove them wrong. I am more than capable of learning the math quickly, since I am now focused on learning everything I can as it pertains to a calculator.

I am nervous to post this because if this deal works in my favor, I could easily see a monthly cash flow of greater than $5K, and if I repeat this several times in the span of the coming year, my life will be wildly different-- and I'm not yet prepared for how to react about it. Additionally, I always second-guess myself, and I have to change that if this career is going to work.

Anyhow, I appreciate any insight that anyone is willing to offer me. I've never been good at math, and in fact I dropped out of college due to my inability (and lack of actual interest) to perform anything above basic algebra. The formula for calculating NOI must be easy, sort of, depending on certain variables such as water, sewer, garbage, etc., which would all play a role in this endeavor.

If any veteran real estate investors have any advice, I will happily listen and execute to the best of my ability. Thank you for reading this wordy, lengthy post.