Everything changed for me when I picked up my first book.One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is the value of compound effort.

Looking back, the biggest lesson was saving from a position of financial strength.

Quote from @Danny Gonzalez: @Paul CijunelisSo I’m not in the IL market, but I’ve owned a PM company for 5+ years, and here are some lessons I wish I’d known when starting out:1.Hire a VA Early: If you haven’t already, bringing on a Virtual Assistant is a game changer.

If you take lessons from The Hands-Off Investor and many people here, you want to judge the operator first and do your due diligence on them.

Lesson learned: stick to cosmetic fixes unless you’re ready for the stress of a full reno.If house hacking isn’t working in your area, maybe look into single-family homes with ADUs or just an extra bedroom with an exterior entrance.

Let’s say you’re starting from zero in 2025—no properties, no deals, just the knowledge and lessons you’ve picked from BiggerPockets, books you have read and videos you have watched.What would you do differently this time around?

., Lessons learned?

Graduating college, not wanting to pay rent, saving a pile of cash, thinking about hacking.   

This taught us an important lesson: it might be time to bring on a dedicated dispositions specialist to ensure we maximize our spreads on every deal.

Lesson learned, but also, this doesn't make me want to buy in CA.