Newbie just learning about investing in real estate!

[Mark Zermeno]

Hey Everyone!

I'm a fresh newbie to looking into investing in the Houston real estate market. What is some good learning content everyone has used to get more knowledge on the Flipping and Buy and Hold strategies? Would love to get some good info so I can get up to speed. 

Would also love to connect with anyone in Houston and if your in the Cypress/Tomball area even better!

[Turner Wright]

Hey Mark, welcome to the community!  If you are serious about real estate investing then don't waste your time reading fluffy, feel good material.  And, stay away from gurus, especially, self-proclaimed gurus.  Spend your valuable time, instead, studying about all aspects of real estate investing, like: 

1. -BRRRR, Flipping/Holding, Wholesaling, Owner-Financing, Notes, Driving 4 Dollars, etc. Learn what they each are, how they work, and how to do it.
2. -Read about the different lending strategies there are and invest your time talking to different lenders to learn how different they are from each other and the different programs and rates they offer.  
3. -Learn about lead generation and the different creative financing strategies there are to help you better close a deal with a motivated seller.  
4. -Learn how to calculate ARV and practice using the BP calculators.
5. -Learn how to calculate rehab costs.  
6. -And, while you are at it, join several local meetups, like North Houston REI and 713 Houston Area REI, and Facebook groups.

Bigger Pockets is a great resource to learn about all of this.  Between the articles, podcasts, videos, and endless discussions, you will learn a lot.  But, don't limit yourself to just BP.  There are books, too, but you don't need to buy them.  Use Google to help you understand better how thinks work and what different terms are.  Everyday, you should be learning about something.

If you need to be pumped up by a bunch of feel-good success stories then you are in the wrong business, in my opinion.  Real estate investing in Hard Work.  Sure, you can always just buy one or two houses, but if you are someone who wants 'financial freedom' or enough passive income to live on, then you have to buckle down and work your butt off!  Work it like you own a real estate business.  Just sayin'!