Getting Started in Gulfport, MS Area

[Michael Bridges]

Hey everybody! Greetings from Gulfport, MS. I am getting my ducks in a row to get started in real estate investing. I have done one flip deal that was a foreclosure with property line issues. I was able to get a contract with the bank contingent on land acquisition and a contract for the land contingent on the deal with the bank going through. I got both deals done and the properties merged. That was the good news. The bad news is I was being funded by a private individual who stopped funding the deal and things got messy from there. Long story short, I ended up making about $2500 when the deal should have netted me around $25K. That was about 8 years ago. I decided that I was going to be involved in real estate but not with a partner or investor. Since then I have got my credit cleaned up and I am debt free other than the mortgage on my personal residence. I am about to cash out a 401k so I will have about $30-$35K to start with. I am currently looking for investments on real estate websites but I feel like I am not seeing the deals fast enough and I am finding them after they are under contract. Is there a way to get a more level playing field to find properties? I want to start off doing flips and/or wholesaling. Any advice would be helpful and appreciated. Questions are welcome. Thanks!