I am brand new to the game and have an opportunity to get off on the right foot (or so I would like to believe).

Their criteria are rigid and hard to meet in this current climate, so I'm concerned that if I go that route and it takes 1-2 years to get in the game then I'm missing a lot of learning opportunities from just buying my own small deal to learn the ropes. 

I’m sure it isn’t the best deal in the world but I feel like I need to jump into the game to get hands on experience.

I have always had a passion for RE and have been looking for the time to jump in, now is as good a time as any I feel.My background is in Asset Protection and with that, I am very analytical and would undoubtedly be an asset to the numbers side of the game.

Hi @Mike Hoherchak there will always be a cycle in real estate, the thing to keep in mind that real estate is a long game for building wealth.   

I live in Los Angeles where properties are out of my reach so I started to look at Cleveland and then it went to Memphis then to Columbus then to Palm Springs and Euclid on top of establishing relationships with agents in each city. 

They bring most of the financing and you bring the boots on the ground local area knowledge and the management of the property and some capital so that you have skin in the game.

As we jump in the game, we’re thinking that finding someone based on a referral is a better option than winging it.

That means you establish a Traditional LLC to carry out the operations of your investments, in order to separate the liability from your assets, including: paying property management, paying contractors, collecting rent, marketing, etc. 

Establish a policy and follow it to the letter in all cases.