New member from Northern California (Fremont)

[Jyotin Gautam]

I have really enjoyed and learned from the great podcasts and success stories hosted by Bigger Pockets. I am relatively new to the website, however.

A bit about myself - I am a full time software professional working in the San Francisco bay area, and am interested in real estate investing (do own rental property in Florida, so not a complete newbie :)   

My primary goal is to purchase residential properties (SFH or small multi-plexes) for long-term rental income. Given the stratospheric prices in the bay area, I'm primarily looking for opportunities in other locations such as Sacramento, Dallas, Orlando or Tampa. Would like to network with peer investors having similar interests.

Happy buying and selling!

 - Jyotin

[James Palin]

Hi @Jyotin Gautam,

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.