These are the books that I still wish I would have/could have read when I was 18:Mindset/Money Management:Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki- the foundational real estate book everyone should readTotal Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey - the foundational personal finance book about budgeting and saving your money because you'll need to save as much of your money as possible to succeedThe One Thing by Gary Keller - foundational book on how to stay focused on what really mattersReal estate books:How to Invest in Real Estate by Brandon Turner - Real life stories on many different ways to invest in real estateReal Estate Investing with No and Low Money Down by Brandon Turner -  Breaking the myth that you need massive amounts of capital to become wealthy in real estateThe Book on Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner - explains how to buy and hold property and why it's the foundation on obtaining long term wealthLong Distance Real Estate Investing by David Greene - this explains the systems anyone can/should use to buy real estate in any market around the country including your own local marketBuy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat by David Greene - explains how to fast-track your wealth in real estate by recycling the same money to buy property after propertyFlipping Houses by J Scott - learn the flipping process to increase your income and have more money to buy rentalsRecession-Proof Real Estate Investing by J Scott - learn how our economy works, how it affects the real estate market and how to prevent yourself from losing your propertiesManaging Rental Properties by Brandon Turner - in-depth, how-to guide on managing properties and how to organize yourself; even if you use a property management company, it'd be great to know these skillsFinding and Funding Great Deals by Anson Young - ideally, your main method for finding deals should be by establishing great relationships with Realtors, wholesalers, and other investors but understanding how to find off-market deals and later pursuing these deals after you've established yourself could be beneficialRehabbing/renovation:Book on Estimating Rehab Costs by J Scott - learn how to define and calculate your renovation budgetHow Your House Works by Charlie Wing - visual guide to understanding and maintaining your houseComplete Guide to Home Inspection by Roger Robinson - know how to inspect a property and what to look for when looking at a propertyRenovation by Michael Litchfield - In-depth look at how to do almost any renovation projectComplete Guide to Contracting Your Home by Kent Lester - fully understand the contractor's job and how to effectively communicate with them Dream Home by The Property Brothers - understand the mindset of a home buyer and which renovations are most sought afterPeople/Negotiation... real estate is a people business and your ability to effectively communicate with others and build relationships will end up being the most important part of your real estate journey:How to Win Friends and Influence People - foundational book on building people skills and possibly one of the most influential business books of all timeThe Book on Negotiating Real Estate by J ScottNever Split the Difference by Chris VossPitch Anything by Oren KlaffOkay, now I'm looking back at this list and realizing just how exhaustive and probably overkill it is for an 18 year old.

We consider looking for or offering products, properties, services, referrals or loans to be advertising.We have to hold a pretty strict line or the forums will quickly get overrun with spam like most online forums.

(edit)  Shop around for a good home owners insurance product. 

If you are using conventional loan or maybe some other loan product, then they will do their own bank appraisal and you may have to pay more or less than that down payment, so check with your loan officer too to make sure what you are bidding will work for them and your cash reserves or cash to close are appropriate.If you are paying cash then it doesnt matter.I think you can only bid low if you think the property is worth less, or you are the only bidder.   

Ask tons of questions about their team and how they manage the team and pictures of the end product. 

We have the highest taxes in the nation already, and you're reflexively pushing aggressively for even more massive levels of taxation.BTW Prop 13 was also the product of Democracy and those hell bent on pulling it down simply couldn't do it democratically despite the many years that have invested in trying to do so.

Ask if your lender has products that are assumable.

The loan will be based on your financials and the income potential and appraised value of the finished product. 

In the beginning, I had no issues with this as the particular product was suggested by me and I was planning to invest in it!

After reading as many Bigger Pockets books and listening to podcasts (by Brandon Turner and David Greene) as I can, I’m excited to finally get started and bought my first duplex in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania while living in California.