New to BP and RE investing SoCal

[Mike Jones]

I am tired of sitting on the sidelines and want to dive into RE investing here in Southern California. I have been to auctions at the county steps and those advertised in the newspapers. I have checked out foreclosure auction sites like gotrusteesaless.com and realtytrac.com and mls sites. I need advice on how best to go about finding properties and funding. All ideas/welcome welcome.

[Mike Jones]

Thanks for the replies. No real estate training. I have sat in on some free seminars of investors (two guys who sell you their programs/material and a guy who teaches how and offers to partner with you on deals). I have also sat in on a foreclosure service/data provider and learned some things about foreclosures and current trends but that was geared towards learning their system.

I want to buy and rehab small sfr homes on a small scale in LA and Orange counties in California. I have a few contacts and friends who are willing to help fund my first deal if I have some invested as well. Auctions- too many big fish and all cash make it difficult. REO's might be a better option. Again, I am trying to get as informed as I can. Also taking advantage of foreclosure listing site's free trial accounts...