Brand New to Real Estate Investing **Please Help:(**

[Austin Shulman]

Good afternoon fellow Real Estate Investors, 

I've come to realize that investing in the stock market is way too volatile. To be honest, I don't understand how company stocks increase or decrease in value. I don't have the brain capacity to study charts and research stocks in different market sectors. So, I decided to funnel all of my money into real estate because I believe real estate is: 1) Easy to understand  2) Has helped people become financially free for decades. 

My big question is where do I start? 

The backstory about me: I'm a mathematics teacher in Denver and I love to see students have those AHA moments when they understand something. Sadly, as a teacher, you don't have the ability to earn a lot thus it becomes challenging to put 20% down on a property. I'm trying hard to save as much as possible, but at the same time enjoy life as a 24-year-old living in a cool city like Denver. 

Any way that you could help me would be much appreciated. But, most importantly I would love to chat with you and hear your journey.  

Hope to hear from you all soon. 

-Austin S. 
 

[James Carlson]

@Austin Shulman

Welcome to BP! And congrats on taking a small step toward real estate investment in Denver. So many things you can do to get started.

• I'm assuming from your post that you don't own the place you live? If that's the case, I'd suggest buying your primary residence. Maybe that's a SFH in one of the Denver neighborhoods that haven't gone as super nuts with prices -- I'm thinking Athmar Park, Barnum, East Colfax, Englewood. Those places have some great appreciation potential. Or maybe it's a condo. Either way, I think taking action to get your first home is the best first step.
• Talk to a lender to see what financing would look like. Any good agent will have a few great ones.
• Look into down payment assistance programs, like CHFA's. I've worked with a few people who used this, and it's a great way for those without a lot of reserves to get into a home.
• If you really want to kickstart the investment side of this, opt for house hacking in Denver. Two options with this: Find a 4-5br home and renting the other rooms. (This likely gets you the best returns, but it also is the least privacy. (Here's an example from some buyers of ours.) Or find a home with a basement apartment or an ADU that you can rent out separately. Not quite as much rent money, but you have your own uninterrupted space.
• Set up keyword alerts for these forums, so that any time someone mentions, say, "house hacking," you get notified. Also, you should follow the Denver real estate forum. 

I wish you luck!