I have been lurking on the site and attended webinars for a while but I am just here to learn and I am soaking it all up!

I'm quite new as an investor, but with three books by Biggerpockets authors under my belt and plenty of enthusiasm, I'm ready to keep learning and to connect with like-minded people in my area and beyond.

It's been rented out.Lessons learned?

It doesn't take long to learn how to spot a good deal.6.

Quote from @Ryan Daulton: Since learning that cash flow from real estate that was purchased from self-directed IRAs is taxed, and that I would not be able to claim depreciation on this property, what are the advantages to buying real estate with self-directed IRAs vs. other investment types like stocks and mutual funds?  

Additional Resources to check, 'FYIs', in case you want to learn more about rezoning in the future)-Look up your address on the city's zoning map here to see how properties in your immediate vicinity are zoned.

Lessons learned?

This is the fork where I'm not sure if I'd be good to get some CRE exp and invest in learning about how to review deals for the next 2-3 years, or focus on generating revenue for investment purposes and watch how things are done as a LP.My personality more aligns with networking, reaching out to people, connecting, navigating difficult situations and finding solutions that work.

I want to start smart and scale up as I learn the ropes, but I’m personally struggling to narrow down which area to focus on.If you’ve done this before, what advice would you give someone like me?

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.