All Forum Posts by: Raf Pinero

@Raf Pinero you're already doing the most valuable thing you can possibly be doing right now: asking questions & learning. 

Your career will vary year to year for the next 5-10 years and you may decide to NOT get into investing after learning more from your day job, it happens. 

Keep learning and putting yourself out there, while not being afraid to seem clueless by asking questions. 

Hi @Raf Pinero!

I'd recommend that you keep/start learning! Podcasts, Books, and Mentors you find by networking.

I'd pick up a copy of Set for Life by Scott Trench as it has a good framework for financial independence, especially for a newer investor. Real Estate is just a part of your total financial picture so don't become too focused on just real estate. You'll want to learn more ways to increase your income now and in the future, keep your expenses low, and take the difference to invest into assets, real estate/business.

I usually give house hacking advice but I know that may not be feasible in your market. If you're going to be investing from a distance or out of state, I'd start building your networks now as well as get setup on the local MLS for those areas. Start getting your analysis reps in so that you know a good deal when you see one. Successful investors take consistent action, not just huge swings when they feel like it.

Best of luck getting started! Here for you with any questions you have along the way!

Educate yourself and save money. Once you have enough of both, you'll know what to do.

1. Start with BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide (free). It will familiarize you with the basic terminology and benefits. Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner or The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.

2. Get your finances in order. Get rid of debt, build a budget, and save. The idea that you can build wealth without putting any money into it is a recipe for disaster and the sales pitch of gurus trying to steal your money. A wise investor will not try to get rich quick with shortcuts. If you can't keep control of your personal finances, you are highly unlikely to succeed in real estate investing. Check out my personal favorite, Set For Life by Scott Trench , or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.

3. As you read these books, watch the BiggerPockets podcasts. This will clarify and reinforce what you are reading. You can hear real-world examples of how others have built their investment portfolio and (hopefully) learn to avoid their mistakes.

4. Now you need to figure out how to find deals and pay for them. Again, the BiggerPockets store has some books for this or you can learn by watching podcasts, reading blogs, and interacting on the forum. There is a handy search bar in the upper right that makes it easy to find previous discussions, blogs, podcasts, and other resources. BiggerPockets also has a calculator you can use to analyze deals and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy. If you consistently analyze properties, it will be much easier to recognize a good deal when it shows up. Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice. It doesn't take long to learn how to spot a good deal.

5. Study the market. You can learn to do this on your own or get a rockstar REALTOR to lead the way. I highly recommend a well-qualified REALTOR that works with investors and knows how to best help you.

6. Jump in! Far too many get stuck in the "paralysis by analysis" stage, thinking they just don't know enough to get started. The truth is, you could read 100 books and still not know enough because certain things need to be learned through trial-and-error. You don't need to know everything to get started; you just need a foundation to build on and the rest will come through experience and then refining your education.

You can build a basic understanding of investing in 3-6 months. How long it takes to be financially ready is different for everyone. Once you're ready, create a goal (e.g. "I will buy at least one single-family home, duplex, triplex, or fourplex before the end of 2019") and then do it. Real estate investing is a pretty forgiving world and the average person can still make money even with some pretty big mistakes.

@Raf Pinero

Continue to learn and save your $. Experience you get working for in corporate for real estate firm is priceless.

Congrats Zach on the purchase. If it's only a total of $5,000 in on the cash investment off of a $92k purchase price, that's a killer LTV on the investment.