Newbie from Dallas, TX

[Jaime Ratzlaff]

Well, I'm not exactly a newbie, but might as well be.  My name is Jaime and I have done three fix and flips in the last year and a half, but have done them in probably the most difficult way imaginable!  I won't get into the details of my mistakes in this intro, but do want the BiggerPockets Community to know I am willing and eager to learn how to be a successful Real Estate Investor from the experienced minds on this wonderful site.  I live in a Northern Suburb of Dallas with my Wife and young Son, as well as our 3 furry children - our Dogs.

I am mostly interested in building a portfolio of rental properties, starting with single family, and then moving up to multi-family, if only for the sake of taking it slow and learning the business before attempting to purchase an apartment building.  However, I also want to keep doing flips and once I get a good marketing campaign up and running, wholesaling if the deal makes more sense at that moment.

I am looking forward to advancing my skills and business sense with the help and advice from BiggerPockets.  Talk to you soon!

[James Palin]

Hi @Jamie

Welcome to Bigger Pockets! You will find a wealth of information here.

I recommend doing the following things.

Complete your profile with a background about yourself and your real estate goals. Be sure to include a picture of yourself. The Bigger Pockets community loves to see your smiling face.

Setup alerts that pertain to your city/area and personal investing goals. https://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts You will get emails on topics and discussions which allow you to interact with other BP users.

Be sure to check out the BP Ultimate Beginner’s Guide. https://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investing This guide will give you a very thorough overview of real estate investing and help you pick your niche.

Be sure to download and listen to the Bigger Pockets podcasts. It’s a great way to learn more while doing other things such as exercising, driving, etc.

Get involved with a local REIA groups. I have visited two REIA groups here in DFW which I have been to and recommend.

North Texas Association or Real Estate Investors http://ntarei.com/ This group has a general meeting once a month and hosts a lots of workshops for a small fee. The workshops cover various subjects from financing, wholesaling,, estimating repairs etc.

Dallas Real Estate Investors Group http://dallasreig.com/ This group meets once a week on Saturday during the lunch hour.

Last but not least feel free to reach out to any of the BP members for any questions or help you might need. Good luck to you.