All Forum Posts by: Brian Lo

@Paul Timmins Paul, thanks for the reference to the book. I just looked it over and the advice you give about the REIA meeting was really helpful! I'll do my best to try and get there early.

Hi BP! This newbie is going to their first REIA meeting tonight and I'm open to whatever advice you might have for me to help this evening as successful as possible. I plan introducing myself to others, telling them I'm a newbie and am trying to figure out what would be the best investment strategy for myself. I've got an attitude of openness and a desire to learn. Any advice would be appreciated.

FYI, the REIA meeting is with FIBI in Long Beach, CA. So if you're also a BP member who'll be there, please introduce yourself to me. I'd love to meet a fellow BP'er face-to-face!

Brian

Welcome, Aaron!

I, too, am a newbie and can identify with some of thoughts on real estate investing.

I discovered BP and am finding it is a great resource, loaded with lots of great info and knowledgable people.

Best of luck to you!

Brian Lo

As a newbie, I am completely fascinated by this discussion. You all have made so many really great points, things that I would never have thought of like property taxes in other states.

I, too, have been pondering this question about investing in LA and just how viable it is. For now, I'm going to concentrate on investing locally and go from there.

Thank you, everyone!

Siha,

Welcome to BP! I, too, am new to BP but I am already discovering it has a great deal to offer.

Brian

I've been listening to a lot of the BP podcasts over the last two weeks and am realizing there is much for me to learn. The big things I've learned so far at to first, "make a plan" and secondly, to go out and learn as much as I can about real estate investing. 

I'm impressed by the many different ways there are to invest and how plans suddenly change and investors have "to pivot" to make it work. I realize there's risk involved but it seems like it can be mitigated if someone has done a lot of homework and can be flexible.

I think my next steps are to read some books (Josh & Brandon's questions at the end of each interview are so helpful!) and to find a REIA group to attend to meet some people and hopefully, get some direction.

Thank you, everyone for your warm welcome, the book suggestions, advice and encouragement. I feel kind of overwhelmed by the response! I'm going to check out those resources.

Hi, everyone! My name is Brian Lo and I’m a newbie to real estate investing.

I don’t have any real estate investing experience. Currently, I’m trying to figure out my niche through listening to BiggerPockets podcasts. I hope to start reading some of the books mentioned from some of the Famous Fours.

I’m interested in real estate investing for a two reasons. First, I’d like to create more cash flow because some more money would be very helpful since my wife is at home with our children. Secondly, I hope investing could us prepare for retirement.

I discovered BiggerPockets through searching iTunes for podcasts that talk about real estate, business and personal finance. I started listening to the podcasts and was really impressed by the vast amount of knowledge and experience shared by everyone on the show. I got the feeling that BiggerPockets is a safe and encouraging environment for people who are involved in real estate investing from the newbie like myself to the professional investor. As a result, I thought that I should give BiggerPockets a try.

I was born and raised in Palo Alto, CA and went to the University of California, San Diego where I received a BA in Urban Studies & Planning. I worked as a current planner for the City of Palo Alto for a few years before quitting and moving to Hong Kong. I lived there from 2003-2005. I moved back to the States to attend seminary (graduate school for theological studies) in southern California. I finished my degree in 2010 and soon after, began working as a hospice chaplain. I love my job.

I live in Carson, CA (about 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles), am married with two young kids. 

My first question is: Do I need a large amount of money to get started? What prospects do I have in investing in southern California where real estate is so expensive versus the rest of the country?

Thanks for reading my introduction!