I am a newbie from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

[David Sarlo]

I am intending to begin investing in real estate, starting with flips. I have been renovating my own houses and helping friends and family with theirs for 40 years. Time to start making money at it. I currently run my own home inspection business. I have in the past been a systems programmer and a project manager.

[Account Closed]

@David Sarlo

Welcome to the club David, it's nice to see another Winnipeger on Biggerpockets!

You're looking for private money for your investments and rehabs correct?  I can suggest a few things. 

1)  Join and attend the real-estate investor groups in Winnipeg.  I've joined and attended 5 different ones, and the ones I find to be legit and beneficial is Team made real-estate and Manitoba real-estate investor association.  Team made is free admission for every meeting and MREIA is free for the first meeting, after that, it's $50-$55 a month I believe.  Both groups have meetings once a month.

2) Open a word document and write down every single person that you know. People from every place you've worked, former classmates in college, friends, family, everyone is fair game! Once you feel like you have every single person written down, understand this. Every single person on your list, has money saved up. Every single person that they know, ALSO has money saved up. If you can be seen as the expert and make a good impression with that one person, that same person, through word of mouth, will do the marketing for you. Stress the fact that the ROI from you is FAR BETTER than ANY investment they could get at the bank, and you'll have people begging to give you their money!

Heck, you're already half way there by the sounds of it.  You've been helping friends and family, for 40 years with renovating houses.  You're seen as an expert renovator.  All that's left to do is to learn the real-estate investment lingo, and you'll be seen as an expert real-estate investor.  I'm so jealous!  :D

Wow, you also own your own home inspection business too?  You are the real deal my friend!  Would you like to go for lunch sometime?