Complete newbie excited to learn and get started

[Scott Jordan]

Hello Bigger Pockets members! My name is Scott, I am from Ohio, and I am here to learn more about real estate investment. I just turned 18 two months ago and have been thinking a lot about my future as an adult since then, how I will provide for myself and pay for college, what I hope to have post college, and so on, which has led me to begin studying investing, focusing on real estate investment. My biggest goal through real estate investing is to provide a good life for myself and for my future family, where I do not need to worry about how I will make my next mortgage payment or how I will pay for food. I am looking for security and financial freedom.

One of my biggest motivations is from examining the failures of my family members. Unfortunately they never thought ahead when they were my age, now they are paying the price for it. They all made the mistake of spending instead of saving and investing, delving into credit card debt, not developing skills to get a good paying job, and so on, and now they are left with borderline poverty. This is a fate I want to avoid and when I was 17 nearing my birthday I started to realize I was going down the same path which scared me into taking my finances seriously, that eventually led me here.

The last thing I feel I need to mention is that I am currently lost! There is so much information and I don't know where to start. I'm currently reading and watching whatever I come across but only parts seem relevant to my current situation. I currently have a very limited and small income due to school (I'm a senior in High School) so I don't know what this will mean for investing. I know it's possible to invest on small incomes but I'd really appreciate if someone would be willing to explain or direct me to some source that will help guide me through the process a bit! Thank you for reading!

[Jonathan Pflueger]

@Scott Jordan

Welcome to BP, you have showed a lot of foresight by becoming part of this community and reaching out. I would recommend spending the next 6 months to a year just reading, posting, listening to podcasts, and going to your local Real Estate Meet-ups. Everything may seem overwhelming at first, but the more you dive into Real Estate the less and less mysterious it becomes.

This is what I did when I first started out and the time I spent on the front end learning has paid dividends. I mentioned meet-ups cause they are a very important part of the learning process and will help you hone your focus and highlight areas you never thought of. 

I wish you the best. Keep posting and learning!!