Hi, newish to real estate, looking to network and learn

[Isaac Baron]

Hi BiggerPockets, 

My name is Isaac Baron.  I am a "retired" professional poker player, I have been fortunate to do fairly well over the years in poker, but I have become disillusioned with playing the game for a living, and feel like it is time for a change. I am looking to get into real estate investing, specifically flips to start out with.  I have some capital that I am willing to use to invest and I have done somewhat of a deep dive over the past couple months into real estate, including working towards getting my license (exam in a couple weeks) and I feel that I have a much better grasp on how this business works than I did just a short while ago.  However, I still don't feel confident enough in my knowledge and experience to go out and start investing quite yet.  I am looking for any and all advice or tips that you fine people could share with me in order to get me over the hump and take the next step.  The main things that I am struggling with at the moment are finding deals and how to find good contractors without going through too much of my own trial and error and bad contractor experiences.  Also, I am located in the Los Angeles area if that matters.

[Jay Orlauski]

Hi Isaac - welcome to the forum. There are many opportunities in real estate and I think it's great that you have decided to put your hat in the ring.  If you would like to meet other investors and network then it is a good idea to start attending local investor meetup groups. You can learn a lot from other experienced investors as well as start to build your buyers lists and  connect with wholesalers, lenders, and contractors - all connection that will be valuable to you when investing in real estate. I've been running a local meetup for the last 3 years, but there are also a few others right here in Fresno that have some great people to connect with. If you have time - maybe we could get together over a cup of coffee the next time that I am in the LA area and talk  about what it's going to take to get you kicked off with real estate investing.  I also have some resources for you to take  a look at if you are deciding to get your license. Feel free to reach out to me - have a happy Thanksgiving!