New Investor In St. Louis, Missouri

[Ben K.]

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Ben and I'm a new investor from the Saint Louis, MO area. I've been studying up and am fairly knowledgeable, but have yet to take the leap and purchase my first property. I am currently looking for house-hacking opportunities to safely get my feet wet (e.g. buy a house I can afford and then either rent out the extra rooms or in-law suite). Over the long run, I aim to build a portfolio of paid-for rentals that allow me to become financially free.

If there are any other investors in the area or elsewhere who share a similar vision, please feel free to reach out. I would love to connect, share ideas, and help out in any way I can.

I wish you all the best of luck and am excited to be a part of the BP community!

Ben

[Mackal Smith]

Welcome to BP Ben! I just moved from Ballwin out to St Clair MO. I'm a buy and hold investor primarily in South City. I have a few multi-family buildings now and I have offers out on a couple more. Happy to meet you for coffee some place one of these days and talk about real estate... (my favorite topic). Good luck, stick to the forums, podcasts, and blog posts here on BP. Great wealth of knowledge and a great bunch of folks always willing to lend advice...

[Atif Chaudhry]

Ben, welcome to BP!

[Daniel Gibson]

Hey Ben, welcome. I am investor on both sides of the river. Would recommend getting into the local REIs. South side investment club, FasterHouse and Lifeonaire are the best. Let me know if you need more info!

[Maggie L.]

Welcome to BP from a fellow buy and hold investor.  I second @Daniel Gibson recommendation to get involved with local groups; it's a great way to network and learn about local issues to supplement what you're learning from places like the BP podcasts.  I own a few rentals in South City and also help clients purchase rentals (investor-friendly agent) so feel free to reach out if you'd like to chat.  If you're looking to house hack there are some really great opportunities out there, especially if you're a first time buyer.

[Frankie Woods]

Welcome to BP!  I'm currently out of country, but I love the area and plan to hit the ground hard when I get back.  Happy investing!

[Account Closed]

Hello Ben, Welcome to STL REI.

[Lee Carrell]

Hi Ben! Welcome to BP!

Read the books and forums, listen to the podcasts, and ask lots of questions!

[Peter MacKercher]

@Ben K. Hey Ben, welcome to BP. I'd say you're on the right track looking for house hacking opportunities, it's one of the best strategies to get started (it's what I did). I wouldn't rule out duplexes, triplexes or 4-families though, especially since the city has a great stock of 4-families, but that depends on what area you're looking to move to.

I'd be glad to talk shop with you if you have time. Don't hesitate to reach out, I'm always happy to talk real estate.

Cheers!

[Jesse Peña]

@Ben K. 

Welcome to BigggerPockets! Below are some links to get you started. Much success to you!

I received this info from @Nathan Sharp when I first started.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/11/02/hack-housing-get-paid-live-free/ (House hacking)

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/03/13/investing-multifamily-ben-leybovich/ (Podcast 061 - How to succeed in multifamily investing)

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/04/09/how-to-buy-a-small-multifamily-property/ (How to buy a small multifamily property)

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/11/16/how-to-choose-areas-multifamily-deals/ (Choosing multi-family deals)

http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/07/19/how-to-buy-a-duplex/(guide to buying a duplex)

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/12/12/bp-podcast-048-duplex-managing-tenants-darren-sager/ (Duplex investing)

Now that you have made the move, below are some links that will help with the navigation of the site.

• http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere
• http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts
• How to Use @Mentions on BiggerPockets
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/rules
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/terms
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/invites
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/perks
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/categories
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/rei/glossary/
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/webinar

https://www.biggerpockets.com/courses/a-beginners-introduction-to-real-estate-investing (video courses)

https://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investing (Ultimate beginner's guide to REI)

Before your 1st purchase, please ensure you visit the below link for some tips.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/12/19/real-estate-investing-success-smart-tips/

REI books suggested by BPers

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/11/13/7-real-estate-books-beginner-investors/ (7 absolute must read books for beginner REIs)

http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/04/14/best-real-estate-books/?utm_source=search&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=books (books recommended by BPers)

Simply, expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.

Continue to feast on the BP Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, BP blogs and BP webinars.

[Ben K.]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and words of advice.  It has quickly become clear to me that Bigger Pockets is an absolute gold mine!