Newbie from New Jersey: Bergen, Essex

[Nidia C.]

Hi everyone, I decided that I should finally introduce myself. I attended a RE meetup in Jersey City, and assumed that it was a REIA meeting. I'm sure everyone knows that we shouldn't ***-u-me? They just wanted to upsell their program. Then I went to a 3 day seminar (different company) with a friend, and learned about more mentorship programs. I passed on these programs because I would rather use the 20K or 50K as a down payment on a property. I don't think that spending $thousands will magically help me find a deal.

Since then, I've had my bouts with analysis paralysis, but I finally took some action: sent out yellow letters, spoke to some sellers, attended open houses, and analyzed some properties (BP calc). I sent 500 letters, and understand that its a numbers game. I'm thinking that I should go the MLS route for my first deal. I got preapproved and this month I put 2 offers in. The offer for the first house was rejected. I am waiting to hear back on the 2nd offer. I know these are all small steps, but hopefully steps in the right direction. Persistence is key, and I figured that this is all part of the process. Hopefully I will close on my first deal soon!

*I was wondering if someone here can point me in the right direction in finding a local REIA group. I'm open to groups in North Jersey or NYC.

*Also, I need help with finding an investor friendly real estate agent in the Teaneck area? I currently live in Essex county, but work in Bergen county. My strategy is to fix + flip in Teaneck/Bogota/Maywood.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.