All Forum Posts by: Justin Lee

I think you have to be colleagues with them first, then if you start typing, you can select their name and profile pic from a list that pops up on the bottom of the text box. Sometimes it takes a little while for the name to pop up, sometimes it seems like it doesn't work at all.

Justin

@Kyle Scholnick

Hi BP, I really like the idea of passive investing via syndications or crowdfunding, but to jump in on a deal now feels risky, as I have little to no experience in REI. Sure, I'm reading as much as I can about deal analysis and due diligence, but is it foolish to start out without any hands on experience buying, managing, and selling my own properties? Listening to the BP podcasts, it seems like a lot of successful, experienced investors are now offering opportunities to put money into their deals or funds. If someone has a successful business model that would take me years to emulate, why shouldn't I take advantage of their expertise? They can probably get higher returns than me, and I would gladly take a lower rate of return in exchange for not having to put in the work of finding the deal and managing the property and eventually putting it up for sale. What do you think is the minimum amount of experience needed to be able to successfully vet deals and sponsors? Can I do it just by reading and learning without any hands on experience? Or would I just be gambling? Justin

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

@J. Martin - I've already RSVP'd for the San Jose Meetup tomorrow, looking forward to meeting some new people!

@Minh Le - The problem with buffets for me is that I like to try a little bit of everything, and then I'm way too stuffed!  Once I figure out where the good stuff is, I'll load up.  I know that Whispers Cafe, I've been there a bunch of times because I go to church across the street. I don't think I can make it to lunch, but I will definitely try to stop by at the construction site later in the afternoon. Thanks for the invite!

@Olga Levin - Which areas are you focusing on and why? East Bay seems pretty hot right now with people getting priced out of SF. I just talked a to a cardiac surgeon who teamed up with a real estate agent and a financial services expert to raise money for multifamily investments in Berkeley.

Hello everyone,

I'm an anesthesiologist trying to dig out of a mountain of student loan debt while supporting a wife and 3 young children in the Bay Area.  When I started private practice two years ago, I finally decided it was time to educate myself in financial matters, and boy, was it an eye-opening experience.  I made a lot of dumb choices along the way, but I think I'm finally starting to get on the right track.  I paid off $35k in credit card debt, $25k in high interest student loans, and bought a house in San Jose with 5% down. 

I started investing my retirement money in the stock market about a year ago, using a modified David Swenson Yale portfolio strategy, and so far, results have been underwhelming. I know it's only been one year (the 1st out of the next 30), but I know there has to be better opportunities out there. I want lower risk and higher returns, which led me to looking at real estate.

A while ago I attended a free lunch hosted by a physician real estate investor who works with a syndicator doing large commercial multifamily deals and their presentation got me excited. Early in his career, the investor had started off buying rental properties, moved on to small multifamily units, but got tired of "tenants and toilets", and is now involved in commercial multifamily. He has enough income from real estate to be able to work as a doctor when he wants to, not because he has to, which is exactly what I want to be able to do.  I love my job, but burnout rates are high in the current healthcare environment. 

I am a complete novice when it comes to real estate and investing, but I love to learn new things. Since discovering Bigger Pockets less than a week ago, I think I've spent over 20 hours listening to podcasts, scouring the forums, and reading blog posts. I even bought J Scott's The Book on Flipping Houses and The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs. There is a TON of information here on real estate, and it is SO overwhelming!  I just hope I can turn all this knowledge into action soon, but I feel like I have such a long way to go before I'm ready to jump into something.

Thank you to everyone out there who shares your knowledge and experience. This community is amazing and I hope to be a regular contributor here eventually. 

Justin