Ready to Get My Feet Wet

[Jason Finley]

I'm a certified general real estate appraiser in Birmingham, Alabama with seven years experience covering the entire state. I've been "planning to get started" investing in real estate for some time now, but haven't actually started. I could create a list of excuses, but I think my biggest issue is just finding a starting point. Are there any investor meetings in the Birmingham area where I could make contacts and learn from people more knowledgeable than myself (also, is this the right place to post this question)?

Below is some information about myself:

I currently own one single-family residence rental property, essentially by default, as it was my previous home that I did not sell. I'm am most comfortable/familiar with "buy and hold" or "flip" aspects of real estate, but am interested in learning about all methods of making money. I would like to own commercial properties (retail, office, NNN, etc.), but since I am a rookie on the investing side, I assume I should probably use single-family and/or small multi-family properties as a stepping stone. I would like to learn as much as I can from anyone willing to share their time, and hopefully partner up with a team who could also benefit from my valuation experience.

This is my first post, so please share any tips, comments, or suggestions.

Thanks for reading!