Check the Facebook group "Quad Cities Real Estate Investors" I can do some more research and interview some if you'd like a broker that plays in the space all day.  

Start by reading the Ultimate Real Estate Investing Guide: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides/ultimate-real-estate-investing-guide/introduction2.

Seeing you are new to real estate, get a foundation from others in your area and see what works and what does not work. 

Unfortunately the 3 asset classes that banks are not fond of right now are rural properties, commercial office space, and vacant land. 

Think a bunch of local commercial real estate agents or residential agents who are in the industry talk about what is needed...  

pid=2114Houston Real Estate Highlights in August, 2024:• Single-family home sales declined 8.3 percent year-over-year• Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes went from 43 to 47 days• Total property sales were down 11.2 percent with 8,730 units sold• Total dollar volume declined 8.8 percent to $3.5 billion• The single-family median price was down 0.3 percent to $336,940• The single-family average price rose 0.9 percent to $421,912• Single-family home months of inventory registered a 4.5-months supply, up from 3.2 months last August• Townhome/condominium sales continued to decline, falling 16.7 percent, with the median price statistically flat at $226,000 and the average price declined 1.2 percent to $258,952.

Especially if you're a first-time portfolio buyer, these online platforms can help you raise capital from multiple investors.Work with an experienced commercial real estate broker.

GET REAL INVESTORS!

@Natalie JohnstoneAll real estate you're making some assumptions. 

We have gained a lot of real world experience from our 10+ syndications as lead sponsors.