Need Advice on How to Find a Property

[Mary K.]

Hi Everyone,

I am feeling pretty discouraged and wanted to vent and see if anyone could offer me some advice- please!!

About me: I am a newbie buy and hold investor in Northern Virginia, long time lurker, and recent poster to the forum...getting a little addicted to it in the past month :) 

My market is extremely competitive - Northern VA and Montgomery County, MD - so I am aware finding an off-market property that cash flows after some renovations is not going to be easy... but it feels like it is impossible. I have been checking the MLS, HUD, foreclosure.com, I signed up for Marketpro deals and another well marketed wholesale company lists, and recently posted my criteria all over Craigslist and Facebook aiming my message at wholesalers. I am also trying to meet wholesalers at meetups I find on meetup.com (I don't know where else to connect with them) but they are mostly talk and I have not received ANYTHING of value from them. I also have an agent looking for me.

I am only looking for a single property!! 

Aside from what I've mentioned above, I have not spent any time reaching out directly to owners via obtaining a list of distressed buyers (I don't even know where I would get one from) or bandit signs- things that I would gladly pay a wholesaler to do for me.

Am I being lazy? Should I start my own marketing campaign? Is there something else I should be doing?

I figured this forum would be able to tell me what I am doing wrong. 

Thank you so much for reading!