In the beginning...

[Wesley Merville]

Hey bigger pockets!   After listening to the Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale I decided I should just go ahead and introduce myself - what have I got to lose?

I currently work in a management job in NY, just outside of NYC and northern New Jersey (NJ) - I'm working hard to learn the RE industry and get started - with the goal to eventually work full time investing in Real Estate.  I have a tremendous passion for entrepreneurship and love the idea of starting my own business, you know, creating my own future and providing awesome jobs for others.

What got me interested in investing?  My brother, who used to work for CoStar, got his masters in Real Estate and was trying to get my parents to help him get started in Atlanta, Georgia.  While my parents took their time to make a decision I decided I wanted to know more about what this investment would entail.  In that pursuit I've been reading all the books, blog posts, WSJ/news articles I can get my hands on (and have time to realistically consume!) I've also been on a Bigger Pockets podcast marathon lately, and became hooked... and here I am.  I guess all those suggestions to introduce myself from Brandon finally payed off.

I've decided I want to focus on buy & hold strategies - The resources I've seen so far all mention that the hardest part with this strategy is to keep the necessary capital coming in to fund new purchases, though I have a friend who said if the deal and numbers make sense - never let the lack of money stop you!

I'm most curious to find out how you found your mentors? I've only met a few investors so far, and while they're amazing people, they're also very busy! I always talk myself out of calling them since I'm worried I'll be wasting their time - especially since I don't have anything concrete to offer them.  Any recommendations on what I could do to bring value to that relationship while also finding other solid investors and building my network?

I know myself, and I know I need someone who will keep me accountable.  I'm great at doing that for others, especially in areas where I have expertise - yet somehow I'm terrible at doing it for myself when starting something new. I always over analyze and psych myself out (analysis paralysis is the term I believe).

Therefore, I'm networking - looking for someone honest with tremendous integrity, principles, and character that I could help out who would also be able to guide me while I learn the ropes. I'm not just looking to learn real estate, my time in this world is limited, so any mentor needs to be a great role model and solid individual all around, not just a good investor.

Any suggestions for actionable steps I should take, events I could attend, people I should know, alternative markets I should consider, or even answers to my questions will be greatly appreciated!

Sorry if this is a little longer than it should have been - Hopefully it gives a little insight into who I am and what I'm looking to accomplish in life!

[Steve Wilcox]

As someone who started with no specific 'mentor' I think the concept of having someone show you the ropes and hold your hand through becoming a successful investor yourself somewhat unrealistic. You need to get out there and hustle, and if you have honesty, integrity, and put yourself out there you will meet good people, and they may help you and give you good advice to help get through specific obstacles you may be facing. 

To hope someone will guide you through all the trials and tribulations is unrealistic unless you are bringing something worth while to the table (i.e money, a deal, securing financing, ect). Just your ambition with little else is not worth a whole lot. Focus on learning as much as you can and building a nest egg of capital to use to start your business. 

Experienced investors are busy running and growing their own business, and newbies generally have very little of value to offer except possibly capital, and ambition. 

If you want someone to guide you through it and 'hold you accountable for getting stuff done' then the best place to look would be for a job at an investment firm, property management company, brokerage, or a bank. With any of those jobs you can earn money while you learn and get actual industry experience.

The other option is to network at some local REIA's, go into a few banks and see what you might qualify for as a live in multifamily, house hacking, as @Brandon Turner speaks about so often, and start to learn it as you go. You will never have all the answers, and no one else out there does either, so if you really want to learn get out there, make mistakes, learn from them and build a business. You could also try to do a live in flip to grow your nest egg, this is how I got started as did many others. 

Start wit the BP books like beginners guide to investing, ect and go from there. 

If you have any specific questions related to a deal you are working on post them on BP and you will get tons of help from others on the forum.