All Forum Posts by: Terry Steigerwald

Analysis paralysis is common amongst my clients. Here are my thoughts on it and how to overcome it:

Top five reasons I’ve come across:

1. Information Overload: The real estate market is complex and constantly changing. Investors have access to a vast amount of information, including property values, market trends, financing options, Gurus, and more. Trying to process all this data can lead to paralysis as investors struggle to filter out what's relevant and make informed decisions.
2. Fear of Making Mistakes: Real estate investments often involve significant sums of money. The fear of making a wrong decision, buying a property with hidden issues, or missing out on a better opportunity can lead investors to second-guess themselves and delay making a decision.
3. Lack of Confidence: New or inexperienced investors may lack the confidence to assess properties accurately and evaluate potential risks. This lack of confidence can lead to overthinking and constant research without taking the plunge.
4. Perfectionism: Some investors set unrealistically high standards for their investments, aiming to find the "perfect" property or deal. This pursuit of perfection can lead to analysis paralysis, as it becomes challenging to find a property that meets all criteria.
5. Decision Fatigue: Analyzing properties, financing options, and market trends requires mental effort. Over time, this continuous decision-making process can lead to decision fatigue, where the ability to make sound judgments becomes compromised. As a result, investors might find themselves stuck in a cycle of over-analysis.

To overcome analysis paralysis, I advise real estate investors to take several steps:

• Set Clear Criteria: Define specific investment criteria and goals. This narrows down the options and helps investors focus on properties that align with their objectives. Keep it short and simple! You are not running a fund or a syndication.
• Create a Timeline: Establish a timeline for decision-making. Having a structured approach can prevent investors from endlessly researching and encourage them to take action within a reasonable timeframe.
• Seek Expert Advice: Consulting with experienced real estate professionals, such as agents, brokers, or mentors, can provide valuable insights and help investors feel more confident in their decisions. Find a trusted thought partner, forums can be helpful, but often lead back to issue #1.
• Start Small: If a large investment seems overwhelming, consider starting with a smaller property or investment. Gaining experience and confidence on a smaller scale can reduce the fear of making mistakes.
• Limit Research Time: Allocate a specific amount of time for research and analysis. This prevents information overload and forces investors to focus on the most critical aspects. Think the 80/20 rule.
• Practice Decision-Making: Making decisions is a skill that can be practiced and refined. Start with smaller decisions and work up to larger ones to build confidence in your judgment.

Remember that while thorough research is important, there comes a point where taking action is crucial for progress. Balancing analysis with action is key to successful real estate investing.

I think most of us watch HGTV and get the renovation/flipper bug. My advice? Focus on buying something that needs minor fixes to get a taste of what it's like. 

I bought a hoarder house and spent six months cleaning and renovating it in my spare time. I learned from that experience that I should probably hire contractors.

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. NETWORK!!! Get out of your comfort zone. Stop hanging out with your deadbeat buddies that spend all day drinking, talking sports, and otherwise wasting away. Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area. You can also find real estate investing groups through meetup.com, facebook, or a Google search. Birds of a feather flock together!

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

Definitely hop in! 

Analysis paralysis is an all too real dampener on people's success. I am an advocate for hands-on learning. You may lose money initially, but it's in exchange for priceless knowledge. I am a mortgage professional who is licensed in Florida and I'd love to hop on a call sometime to discuss what your thinking about as well as bouncing some ideas off of how you may be able to finance your strategic purchases. I've sent a connection your way.

Hey Terry - great first step in getting out of the shadows of analysis paralysis.

Since you're willing to get some leads, you can make a name for yourself if you can find great deals and bring them to the investors in your market either as wholesale deals or potential JV partnerships.