A bit intimidated in OK

[Michael S.]

My name is Michael Sullivan.  I now live in Miami, OK and would like to buy rental property here.  People here are very friendly and respectful for the most part.  Unfortunately, no one talks about money here.  I was very fortunate a few years ago to learn about Robert Kiosaki.  Before him, I never thought of life as something to be seized.  My personal beliefs have changed much over the past five years.  I have been reading posts here for two days.  I'm seeing a lot of jargon I don't know (SFP, TH, etc etc)  I trust that in time I will make those mental connections between acronyms and the ideas they represent.  I have not worked since I was 25.  I'll be 40 in July, and it's time I actually did SOMETHING.  My wife works at the local hospital.

My parents were semi-professional house-flippers.  As a result, we moved frequently.  As a young person, I learned very quickly that it was not either necessary nor prudent that I unpack completely.  Unfortunately this is a problem I still suffer from.  In 2013 my wife bought a 1960s era house about two blocks from the house we were renting at the time.  It's 3Bd/2Ba (I know what THAT jargon means because of my many hours spent playing CashFlow on the Internet.)  We have our master bedroom, a guest bedroom, and my office, which is still mostly full from the crates stacked in the center of the room.

So I'll be asking for advice once I know SOMETHING to ask.  I believe that in any situation, there exist certain questions that must be asked and therefore answered.  I'm in the process of searching for what those questions are.  Perhaps I should ask for that?  What questions should I be asking?  Thank you in advance for any advice you have to offer.

[Cassi Justiz]

Hi Michael, 

Welcome to BP and the investing market! A lot of people forget that this is an industry and profession like anything else. You wouldn't walk into a hospital and expect to know all of the medical jargon the doctors use, so don't be hard on yourself for not knowing all of the real estate jargon. There is no shame is googling stuff you don't know. I spent a lot of time googling "*acronym* real estate" when I first got started looking into real estate. 

The best place to start is to try to fully immerse yourself in the culture.  Real estate investing is a culture in itself. Listen to the podcasts, the webinars, and find meetups and REIAs near you. Find someone that is doing something you find interesting and ask questions about their work. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. You just have to figure out which wheels you like. Also, don't be afraid to reach out to people. Most people in this industry are happy to help new investors as long as you are genuine and appreciative of their time and energy. 

Good luck!!