New investor in Bryan, TX

[James Stevens]

Hello everybody, my name is James Stevens and I'm a new member of Bigger Pockets. I'm also a new real estate investor in the Bryan/College Station, TX area. I am 37 years old and have been working in the construction industry for about 20 years. Over that time, I have worked for a few different people that flipped houses. They would purchase a house and my crew and I would do all the needed repairs to that property. It was at this time that I realized I was on the wrong side of the business and began researching and learning about real estate and different investment strategies. I am fairly new to the B/CS area as well as still a rookie in the REI world so I look forward to any and all help and advice that I can receive from anyone. I am motivated and determined to do whatever is necessary in order to pursue this path of investing and improve my quality of life as well as other people's. My wife's niece had recently expressed an interest in this also, so I've been sharing all the books, websites and advice I've acquired so far with her and helping to educate her on some of the basics and techniques. She and I have partnered up and are looking to begin our investing careers immediately.

[Andrew Cordle]

@James Stevens

Hello "BP Newbie" and welcome to Bigger Pockets. Having all that construction knowledge can really help you in this business, so you already have a nice head start. I would try to use that to my advanatage as much as possible. As far as the other concepts of REI I am sure you can figure them out here on BP. As we are all here to help each other.

In the meantime here are 7 tips to help you grow your business using BP:

1. New to BP?

2. Develop your own business strategy. -- Don’t just be a “jack-of-all-trades"

3. Grow your business by developing your business plan. - Remember there is a difference between goals and a plan.

4. Locate and attend several different local REIAs as they’re great opportunities to network and meet wholesalers, lenders, and contractors.

5. Stay away from the “guru” sales-pitch events - they rarely increase your investment knowledge, they merely empty your wallet!

6. Spend 30 minutes a day on Bigger Pockets by connecting with “colleagues,” perusing blogs and videos, and engaging with others on the forums:

7. Set yourself up to receive free alerts to be notified of subjects that interest you:

Andrew