Welcome @Rebecca Morris,These are the 10 first steps I would recommend to get started in REI (real estate investing):1) Educate Yourself: Read books, take online courses, and attend seminars about real estate basics, market trends, and investment strategies.2) Set Clear Goals: Define what you want to achieve in real estate—whether it’s buying a home, investing in rental properties, or flipping houses.3) Choose Your Niche: Decide if you want to focus on residential, commercial, or industrial real estate, or perhaps a mix of these.4) Research the Market: Analyze your local real estate market.

Hi all –Disclaimers:I don’t have any experience with industrial real estate - or CRE generally speaking for that matter.I will be keep this post intentionally vague for the sake of privacy.

But your average buyer?

While opinions may vary, I rely on data to help drive real estate decisions and planning.Key ConsiderationsEducational Attainment: 77008 boasts higher numbers of residents with bachelor's (12,241) and master's degrees (5,739) compared to 77063.Demographics: 77063 has a higher percentage of foreign-born residents (41.02%) which typically indicates a strong rental market and with 76.86% renter-occupied versus 32.60% in 77008.Economic Factors: Median income in 77008 is $140,609 with a low unemployment rate of 3.37%, whereas 77063 shows lower median income ($51,899), higher unemployment (9.99%), and more families below the poverty level (16.51%), which may indicate economic diversity but also potential rental payment risks​​.Age Distribution: 77008 has more middle-aged residents (35-54) [8970 compared to 6,115] and a slightly higher proportion of young adults (25-34) compared to 77063 but both are popular with younger adults suggesting strong rental markets equally exist.Housing Market: 77008 features a higher percentage of family households (52.39%) and married-couple families (44.77%), suggesting stability and potential for property appreciation.Digital Advertising Demand: Houston Heights apartments (77008): 50,000 average monthly searches.

We are in a suburban market and we average an 18% vacancy rate. 

IREM President Libby Ekre, CPM, shares five essential things to look for:Licenses & Certifications – Ensure the firm has certifications like CPM or ARM, guaranteeing adherence to industry standards.Regional Experience – Local market knowledge is crucial, especially for properties in smaller cities.Property Type Expertise – Match the company’s strengths with your specific property type for better management.Company Culture – Look for a firm that values customer service and team management.

I have tried to find potential syndicators by literally tracking down who bought apartments that I see clearly have new owners... but in each case, to date, the new owner appears to not be open to outside investors (and so far no local outfits), so that's not working out.Kurt, due to my industry expertise, I have a very wide network, and work with hundreds of syndicators nationwide.

But, if they don't have some sort of formal training/experience within the industry hiring them is a terrible idea (from what I've heard).Just to put this into perspective, all of our bookkeepers are U.S.

The average price per land for urban infill going 6-12 stories high on a higher density product is about 5 million an acre up to about 25 million an acre. downtown market premiums I've seen at the highest are 1200 a sq ft. in columbus you can get land about 1.5 million per acre downtown at best price, sells for about 600 a sq ft max, very little competition compared to miami. tampa I didn't really look at too much because miami has 22 zip codes that you can build at least 6 or 8 stories on and just a much better landscape than other markets. tampa is a little bit bigger than columbus but in my opinion more of a suburban market. miami is landlocked and very limited so everything is in redevelopment. both are amazing opportunities but the barrier to entry is much higher in Miami with the smallest plots of land infill going for at least 1.5 million I would say in areas like Wynwood Norte, Wynwood, etc. we looked all over but prefer east of 95 due to the condominium opportunities. multifamily is very strong in both markets but the condo premiums make it almost silly not to do one from the start and the use of deposits versus a single asset lease up and disposition is a longer sales cycle than the condo buildings being sold out prior to completion.

One or two gurus spend on average of a documented $100,000 a month in employee costs, taxes, office space, marketing and bonuses.