New member in Fort Worth TX

[Michael O'Brien]

Hello BP!

I am a new member who recently moved from Upstate NY to DFW. I set a goal in 2019 to begin reading more and started with RDPD, and it opened my eyes to the world of financial independence. Since then I have been reading up on the world of real estate investing and found BiggerPockets. My new goal is to retire by age 40 (I'm 27 now). I plan to start this path by investing in a small multi-family and house-hacking; I am a renter today. I currently have no money saved up so I plan to use the rest of this year to build an educational foundation and save money.  

I recently reached out to a real estate agent on Facebook in the area with whom I have a connection with through a friend of a friend, to try to start networking. She has invited me a a company party where there will be other investors, real estate agents, and lenders to network with. I'm usually not a shy guy and I don't have problem talking to new people or building new relationships, but I lack the background and knowledge in investing and therefore my confidence is low and I'm a little nervous about the event. Once I get through the ice-breakers in the conversations, what are some good questions to ask these professionals?

Also, does anyone know of any good meet-ups in the area? I have searched meetup.com but it's hard for me to decipher the marketing scam meet ups vs genuine meet ups.

Thanks for the help BiggerPockets community!

- Mike