Apprentice investor seeks seasoned pro

[Robert Angles]

Hello everyone,

I am in North Idaho, near Spokane Washington. Just wondering if there may be a fix and flip guy that I may work alongside. Willing to commit whatever it takes. Fix and flip has been a long time passion, and now I am ready to move from book to reality.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Bill Gulley]

Dress for work, if you have quality tools carry them. leave the Wal-Mart handy dandy tool set in your vehicle or at home. Drive around and look for rehabs and  stop, small commercial too, if the commercial looks like it's an owner stop and ask, if it's a new or large project it's unlikely it's a small mentoring type investor.

Walk up, ask for the owner or foreman. Tell them you'll work cheap to learn. give you pitch and be ready to work. without having to go back to you vehicle, be on the spot ready to work.

Basic stuff you should have, good simple tool belt, 2 good pencils, 16oz claw hammer, 2 flat tip and 2 Philips screw drivers (lots of things you can do and get done before messing with power drivers)  16'+ steel case tape, retractable utility knife with blades, 2 1/2" putty knife. small nail bar, small mag light, safety glasses, steel toed shoes/boots with thick soles to bend nails over instead of sinking them in your foot. (footwear depends on the job, boots are always good, inside light work you can wear tennis shoes)  a good hat keeps stuff out of your hair and face. Nice to have a chalk line, with plum bob hook tip, and small tube of chalk too. Wear jeans not baggy butt huggers and a shirt you can tuck in if you are to get around power equipment. Clean and neat. Showing up with a brand new tool belt is like wearing a sign that says "I'm a newbie" might look for a good one at a pawn shop, at least look like you've worn one before and you might wing it with other workers.

(practice a few times putting that belt on and off, check the fastener before you buy a used one, you should be able to drop the belt with one hand quickly. it gets in the way sometimes and you don't want to stand there messing with a tool belt like you never saw one before.)

(Also, if you are a newbie and never had shop class, box stores have classes, read on the proper use of tools, don't use tools inappropriately, intended use only) 

Biggest issue is safety, standing in the wrong place can get you hurt or others trying to avoid you. Pay attention. 

Watch and learn. you put 4 12' 2x4s on your shoulder and walk in a framing job and turn around very fast you'll smack someone in the head, carry it low in front of you so you can see both ends.  

Biggest reason newbies don't get on job sites is safety and slowing other down, might mention that you know how to stay out of the way. Don't stand over someone looking over their shoulder unless they tell you to, like helping with a plumbing drain, otherwise nothing goes on that you can't see from 6 feet away.

 Some don't like chatty Charlie, yakking all the time slows work and is a distraction, quiet but friendly is a good way to go. Pay attention.

If you have time to lean you have time to clean! Keep the work area clean at all times.

A guy came in wanting work and I told him I had nothing. I let him hang around a bit, he picked up a broom and started cleaning, he moved quickly, stood up straight, kept quiet, stepped in a gave a hand helping others. I told him a few times I got nothing, he said he was fine with that, just wanted to have something to do. He won, I started putting him to work and paid him cash at the end of the day.

Work some and then ask the investor side how the started the project. Show interest in them but understand, finding a job and mentor like this doesn't mean you found the best investor type, at least the are good enough to be working! Do your own due diligence on the investing side. In fact, I'd keep my intentions of doing fix and flips quiet, you could mention buy and hold as you will probably end up doing, least for awhile.

Use your head, don't walk up and say you'd like to learn so you can compete with someday, might think about partnering with them someday.

If you have time, get out there and find them, that shows initiative, commitment, drive and an attitude to work, There is no hands on experience laying in bed playing on the computer, it's 7:12 AM my time, if I were going to look I should have been hitting job sites an hour ago!

Be where you need to be 15 minutes before you need to be, too early it will look like you got nothing to do yourself, late is not acceptable. :)