Looking for advice on starting in Real Estate Investing

[Miguel Carbajal]

Hello everyone,

I'm currently an undergraduate student at Fordham University in New York City, looking to invest in rental properties and perhaps single family homes in New York City, New Jersey, and Westchester County, New York. My interest in real estate began being the son of a construction manager who renovates apartments in the city, and following an internship with an attorney who focused in real estate. I am currently interning in the leasing department of a NYC real estate company right now so as to learn more, which is turning out to be incredibly interesting as I am observing the market in the wake of the tenant protection act passed by the New York legislature in June 2019. 

With that being said, I am so eager to learn more, meet new people, and capitalize on opportunities that I come across.
I have a goal in mind, yet everyday I ask myself the "how." I work towards my goal by taking the time to learn, keeping in mind that I will have to act at some point so as to make use of the knowledge I am accumulating.

If anyone has any tips or advice for a college student looking to invest in real estate and making a career/hobby out of it, it would be so helpful and greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[Taylor L.]

I always advise new people to really quantify their goals. Talking dollars and timeframe. Then work backward, to inform you what level of action you need to take. I also recommend new people go network at real estate events as much as possible. NYC has numerous networking groups where you can go meet individual investors, syndicators, fund managers, and everything in between. 

The purpose of getting out there and networking is to learn about the strategies, so you can pick one for yourself. Only you can truly decide. You know your interests, goals, and strengths better than anyone.

Some folks are able to jump straight into real estate investing out of college - I just interviewed Antoine Martell, who did just that. It worked out and now he runs a successful turnkey company. That route wouldn't be available for everyone, but for some it is absolutely possible.