All Forum Posts by: Susan Walker

I think BiggerPockets is an amazing platform for networking and learning from other investors. While I’m not an expert on the legal aspects of posting here, I do have years of experience coaching students in real estate sales and investing.

For anyone getting started in real estate, I always emphasize the importance of focusing on key steps before committing to a deal. Here is my simple Top 5:

1. Review the market – Understand the trends and conditions in the area.

2. Analyze the property and the numbers – Ensure the deal makes financial sense.

3. Visit the property – There’s no substitute for seeing it firsthand.

4. Meet the team – Whether it’s your property manager, builder, or contractor, relationships matter.

5. Complete inspections and appraisals – These protect you from costly surprises.

If all these boxes are checked and the numbers work for your goals, then it’s likely a solid deal. Real estate investing is largely about the choices we make as owners.

Over the years, I’ve worked with many teams and companies, and I always recommend SDIRA Wealth because they build the properties in the best markets, and consistently excel in meeting my top five criteria.  However, I always encourage investors to do their own due diligence. Not every company or investment type may work for you. Don’t just take my word (or anyone else’s) at face value—verify for yourself! 

Since joining BiggerPockets, I’ve discovered a lot of other great companies and connected with inspiring investors. This platform is a valuable resource, so use it to your advantage! 

Just wrapped up the year by closing on two more properties—huge thanks to the SDIRA Wealth team for making it happen! They’ve completely changed how we’ve built our rental portfolio by focusing on new construction homes in the best U.S. markets. Their team builds thousands of homes each year for investors, giving us access to great pricing, exclusive opportunities, and expert guidance.

They’ve made the whole process so much easier, from connecting us with top lenders and management teams to offering tax-saving strategies and educational resources. Plus, investing in new construction has meant fewer headaches and better cash flow for us over time.

Real estate isn’t without its challenges, but it’s hands-down the best way we’ve found to build long-term wealth. SDIRA Wealth has saved us so much time and helped us avoid mistakes we’d have made on our own. Can’t recommend them enough—happy to keep sending friends and family their way!

@Harish V. In my experience their team will provide everything you need in the state where you’re buying, along with comprehensive support throughout the investment process. This includes all the tools and knowledge to help potential client’s make informed decisions on their new builds.

Beyond guiding us through our investment journey, they also have always offered additional market and property analysis to give us a deeper understanding of the real estate landscape, helping you succeed with confidence. Good Luck checking them out.

I’ve had some experience working with SDIRA Wealth, and I must say, they’re a top-notch Build to Rent development team and we have worked with a lot of different teams over the years. If you’re in the market for long-term buy-and-hold new construction properties, they’re definitely worth considering. They are the development team we refer people to the most.

We’ve acquired several properties from them and have been impressed with their pricing and benefits, thanks to the volume they build at. One thing I really appreciate is their emphasis on property visits and providing a due diligence checklist, which is invaluable for new investors.

They won’t sell you a property without your own appraisal and inspection, ensuring peace of mind. Over the years, they’ve developed strong partnerships with tax advisors and wealth advisors, and lately, they’ve been working with some big names in the industry building new construction properties for their investor’s.

Their process and educational resources have been incredibly helpful, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. Of course, with any public figure involvement, there may be some negative feedback with that person, but from my experience, the SDIRA Wealth building team in general is definitely worth considering.

Based on my experience coaching investors with my husband, who was a realtor many years ago, I strongly advise that, regardless of whom you work with, you meet the team, conduct thorough market research, get an appraisal, schedule an inspection, and also arrange for a site visit. We visited all of our properties we own before purchasing. Armed with this information, carefully evaluate whether the numbers meet your investment objectives before making a decision.

Good Luck!

Ryan, you have come to the right place. Lots of great advice on this subject. We did a ton of networking and found some great connections. 

Thanks everyone. Very helpful. We are looking at a couple of deals now outside of our state of California. 

@Jonathan Styer is it ok for me to reach out to you regarding short term rentals in your area?

My husband and I have built a real estate portfolio over the past 25 years for a long term buy and hold. We are happy with it and now are considering to dive into short term rentals. Advice?

@Billy Daniel Oh No! I simply just wanted to share my experience working with a real estate development team like SDIRA Wealth. My husband and I have collaborated with various companies and undertaken independent projects over the years.

Since joining BiggerPockets, I’ve noticed some confusion regarding the companies we’ve worked with. I woke up this morning and I hoped to bring some clarity, especially in response to a specific query about SDIRA Wealth.  @Christie Gahan SDIRA Wealth specializes in building for rent properties they are builders. They are not a custodian. We bought all 7 of our properties from them using cash with financing and we selected our own lender.

However on their client experience surveys, I’ve highlighted the confusion around their company name for a long time now. Haha!

Despite only being on BiggerPockets for a few years, we’ve found this community incredibly valuable through the webinars, books and videos.

Now, as we venture into other investments for diversification, this platform, amoung many of the users who have helped us over the years remain a key resource for us. 

While I'm not well-versed in AI, our focus has been on residential property investments. However, I believe collaborating with financial advisors could be an effective strategy for networking. Our financial advisor helped us be open to explore new possibilities outside our local market.