New "hoping to be" real estate investor

[Behr Kammer]

Hello, my name is Behr. Just signed up on the site today. I just started a great career as a firefighter, I live in Austin, Texas and am looking to buy my first home and thought why not purchase a duplex/triplex and get into real estate during my time off? 

[Peter MacKercher]

Welcome to Biggerpockets Behr. I am in STL please let me know if you need anything.

In the meantime here are 9 tips to help you grow your business using BP:

1. New to BP? http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere

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

3. 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 100 past ones to catch up on.

4. Develop your own business strategy. -- Don’t just be a “jack-of-all-trades" Even though I am.

5. Grow your business by developing your business plan. - Remember there is a difference between goals and a plan. http://www.biggerpockets.com/files

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

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

8. Spend some time every day on Bigger Pockets by connecting with “colleagues,” perusing blogs and videos, and engaging with others on the forums: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet

9. Set yourself up to receive free alerts to be notified of subjects that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts