Newbie from Laguna Hills, CA

[Michael Haines]

Hi everyone this is Michael Haines from sunny Laguna Hills, California. I am a long time lurker and reader of BP and, I decided that I should jump aboard to take advantage of all of the benefits that BP has to offer.

My background is in real estate and finance having worked with developers prior to the crash and with an international real estate company in their auction division. I am looking to further my education in real estate investments and to give back to the community where I can to help newbies and fellow investors.

Thank you for building such a great community, I look forward to meeting and networking new people and contributing to the forums.

[Paul Timmins]

@Michael Haines

Welcome. Below are some of the resources here many are things you already know.

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 over 70 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

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