New member from Denver

[Marcus N.]

Hey everyone,

I just thought I'd write a quick introduction. My name is Marcus and I'm from Denver, Colorado. I went to school for engineering, but after I graduated I quickly found out working for other people isn't for me. I started a web app business which was pretty successful for a few years. Now I'd like to use the money I earned from that business to fund some real estate investments.

For the past few weeks, I've been learning as much as possible about real estate. Bigger Pockets has been a huge help. I've been reading the forums and listening to every podcast. I'm just finishing up J Scott's books, which have been extremely valuable too.

I've yet to formalize a business plan, but I'm leaning towards investing in rental properties. I had originally wanted to flip houses, but it seems like it would be hard to find enough deals to keep me busy.

If anyone in Denver has recommendations for agents or contractors, I'd love to hear them!

[Joshua Dorkin]

I'll respectfully disagree with Ali here. I know few successful business people who don't have some kind of formal business plan. As Brandon Turner likes to say, "you don't need a 50 page plan" but you do need something. As an engineer, you know how important it is to plan.

Just put pen to paper and plot it out. We've got an entire chapter of our Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing devoted to the real estate business plan. Definitely check it out.

BTW - Here are some of my favorite quotes about planning from some pretty smart folks:

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
- Benjamin Franklin

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
- Abraham Lincoln

Whatever you decide, we're here to help you get the ball moving.