All Forum Posts by: Andrew Ault

@Andrew Ault

It's going to be really tough to be taken seriously in real estate at 17-18. Right now, you should focus on soaking up all of the knowledge you possibly can on the subject. Read more books. One book I REALLY like that isn't specific to real estate is Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier. I wish someone handed me that when I was 17 (and that I would have been smart enough to read it).

Go to all the real estate meetups that you can and meet some of the local players. Check meetup.com and the Bigger Pockets events section.

When you turn 18, you can probably walk into Keller Williams and get trained up and licensed. Or maybe not... but it's worth a try.

Your best bet might be to find an agent who will take you on as an assistant for a couple of years.

The first thing I would do, if I were in high school and knew that I wanted to get into real estate investing, is look into getting a job in a real estate agency, and get my realtor's license.  You're going to learn an awful lot about buying and selling, and how to find bargains in real estate.  You don't need any kind of degree, I think - just to pass the licensing exam.  And of course, they hire people to work in real estate offices who aren't licensed, just to answer the phone and such.

Hi @Andrew Ault.  Kudos to you for wanting to start early!  It was my senior year that I realized I wanted to own house rentals and get into commercial real estate.  But it took me 7+ more years to make both happen.

What type of real estate do you want to get involved with?  Being a realtor, property manager, renovating houses, analyzing deals, residential, commercial, etc.

I'd encourage you to go to the local REIA / REIC and meet people. Ask people to meet for coffee and start picking their brains. Real estate on all levels is about networking, so start now. Start educating yourself and be ready to act when somebody gives you your chance.

Maybe see if you can find an investor or property manager in the area and help with turnovers, renovation, or maybe you can offer something on the office side of thing by going through data and compiling reports etc.  

Try to find a meetup in your area and attend that, then go from there.