Newbie from Buena Park, CA

[Chris M.]

Hello! My name is Chris Monsanto and I would like to start investing in Real Estate. Currently, I have no experience in the field and have read a couple of books regarding real estate, though I have listened to many BiggerPockets podcasts (very enjoyable, btw [Is this a pitch?]). My current job has me officially supervise 19 direct reports, mostly licensed medical professionals. In reality, the number is actually 31 due to complicated logistics issues.

In any case, I figured that if I had half of that number as properties, I would easily double my current income and decided to seek more knowledge on the subject. While looking for a list of recommended Real Estate books, I found BP and have been hooked ever since.

My goals are to mainly buy and hold but am open to other niches if it proves beneficial.

[Dmitriy Fomichenko]

Welcome to BP community @Chris M.! It is a great place to meet new friends and learn about various aspects of real estate and more. Here are a few recommendations for you:

Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet

Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts

If you wish to tag someone in the conversation on the forum, type @ followed by their name and then select that person below. He or she will be notified of being tagged so that the conversation will continue.

Wishing you the best!

[Chris M.]

Thanks for the advice Dmitriy, much appreciated!

[James Wise]

Welcome to the site Chris

[Paul Timmins]

@Chris M.

Welcome. Your profession should be able to provide all the private money you will need. Fill in the foundation below.

Check out the Start Here page http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere

Check out BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginner's Guide - A fantastic free book that walks through many of the key topics of real estate investing.

Check out the free BiggerPockets Podcast - A weekly podcast with interviews and a ton of great advice. And you get the benefit of having 60 past ones to catch up on.

Locate and attend 3 different local REIA club meetings great place to meet people gather resources and info. Here you will meet wholesalers who provide deals and rehabbers.

Two Great reads, I bought both J. Scott The Book on Flipping Houses,The Book on Estimating ReHab Costshttp://www.biggerpockets.com/flippingbook

Consider checking out HUD homes for small multi's owner occupied gets first crack.

You might consider Niche or Specialized Housing like student housing. Rents can be 2-4 times more. Remember you don't have to own a property to control it.

Download BP’s newest book here some good due diligence in Chapter 10. Real Estate Rewind Starting over

http://www.biggerpockets.com/files/user/brandonatbp/file/real-estate-rewind-a-biggerpockets-community-book

Good Luck

Paul

[Chris M.]

Thank you, James and Paul :)

[J. Martin]

Welcome Chris. There are a lot of super helpful people and great advice on this site! I'm a 'fix and hold' investor from the Bay Area in CA, and loving it! A lot of others doing flips, wholesaling, notes, everything. A few tips.

You can tag people by typing @ before you type their name, then clicking their name when it pops up at the bottom of the message box. You can click on the 'vote' button if you like someone's post or is helpful, and there are 'awards' to earn on your profile. The "Learn" link across the top navigation bar has lots of great info, and most importantly, the BP members! Welcome to BP, and good luck on your investments!

[Jay Y.]

Welcome @Chris M. from another California investor!

[Chris M.]

Thanks to the both of you for the continued warm welcomes!

@J. Martin - I appreciate the advice, much appreciated. Hopefully soon I'll be able to start the journey. Best of luck to your current and future endeavors as well!

[Brandon Turner]

welcome to BP! I'm glad you're enjoying the podcast. You should definitely start jumping right in the forums! Also, if you haven't yet, try to setup some "Keyword Alerts." It's great for getting into local conversations.

Also - here's a couple articles you might enjoy:

The 21 Best Real Estate Investing Books Ever

How to Rent Your House: The Definitive Step by Step Guide

See you around the site!

[Chris M.]

Thank you @Brandon Turner! The list of books you mentioned was how I initially stumbled onto the site. Although I worry about having "analysis paralysis," I don't know how much of a foundation I should build in terms of knowledge before I jump in.

If anyone has any thoughts in that regard, I'd appreciate the advice.