All
Members
Companies
Blog
Forums
Podcast
Webinars
    User Log in  /  Sign up
  • Forums
    Newest Posts Trending Discussions Followed Forums Real Estate News & Current Events General Landlording & Rental Properties Buying & Selling Real Estate Deal Analysis See All
  • Education

    Read

    BiggerPockets Blog BPInsights: Expert Analysis Coronavirus Content & Resources Guides Glossary Reviews Member Blogs

    Watch

    Webinars Video Library Financial Independence Blueprint Intro to Real Estate: Rentals

    Listen

    BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast BiggerPockets Money Podcast BiggerPockets Business Podcast Real Estate Rookie Podcast Daily Podcast (Audio Blog)

    Topics

    Business Operations Finance Finding Deals Property Management Property Types Strategy
  • Network

    Recommended Vendors

    Real Estate Agents Mortgage Lenders Companies Hard Money Lenders Contractors Investment Companies

    Search

    Members Events Jobs
  • Tools

    Calculators

    Rental Property Fix and Flip BRRRR Rehab Estimator
    Wholesaling Mortgage Payment 70% Rule Airbnb

    Services

    BPInsights: Property Insights Tenant Screening Property Management Lease Agreement Packages

    New Feature

    BPInsights (beta)

    Quickly analyze a property address or ZIP Code to compare your rent in your neighborhood.

    Analyze a property
  • Find Deals
    Real Estate Listings Find Foreclosures External Link Ads, Jobs, and Other
  • Bookstore

    Real Estate Books

    Profit Like The Pros Bidding to Buy See all books

    Featured Book

    BiggerPockets Wealth Magazine book cover
    BiggerPockets Wealth Magazine

    Written by financial journalists and data scientists, get 60+ pages of newsworthy content, expert-driven advice, and data-backed research written in a clear way to help you navigate your tough investment decisions in an ever-changing financial climate! Subscribe today and get the Oct/Nov issue delivered to your door!

    Get the Magazine
  • Pricing
Log In Sign up
User
Quick search links
Podcast Hard Money Lenders Books Washington
BlogArrowBiggerPockets Real Estate PodcastArrowOne Investor’s Advice for Digging Out the Best Information on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

One Investor’s Advice for Digging Out the Best Information on the BiggerPockets Forums

Sterling White
Expertise: Commercial Real Estate, Personal Finance, Real Estate Marketing, Business Management, Landlording & Rental Properties, Real Estate Investing Basics, Personal Development, Real Estate News & Commentary, Mortgages & Creative Financing
233 Articles Written
wholesaling-tools

The BiggerPockets community is well over half a million real estate investors and professionals strong. That’s huge. We all know that there are many benefits to being involved with BP. Still, as with anything else, there can be cringeworthy and frustrating moments too.

Want more articles like this?

Create an account today to get BiggerPocket's best blog articles delivered to your inbox

Sign up for free

Finding the Best Information

If you’ve been following the BiggerPockets Forum threads even for a short while, you’ve seen an abundance of knowledge. There is a ton of awesome and powerful information. That’s pretty much a $40,000 real estate course for free, plus a lot more. There are new and veteran investors teaming up to learn and mentor. There are investors celebrating massive successes. And then there are the Grinch characters.

These are the ones who spend their time putting down others when they really have no knowledge about the facts themselves, the party poopers “hating” on cash flow investing and those spreading a lot of misinformation.

biggerpockets-pro-membership

Related: The Incredible Value of Connections Made on BiggerPockets

Why They Do It

There can be many reasons these Grinch characters show up in all types of forums and sites online. In some cases, it just demonstrates their lack of knowledge. In others, it is out of resentment of the success of others or an attempt to self-promote. Then there are probably a few crazies in the mix. I mean, throw 500,000 people in any room and you’re going to have one or two rogues, right?

No Man Left Behind

Even though it is tempting to avoid environments like that, I’ve come to feel that you have to hit them head on. And who wants to live like a hermit anyway?

Somebody stuck around did it for me and others. Hundreds have invested time and energy to help others when they didn’t have to.

If we don’t stick it out, offer help, engage with good advice, or just share our authentic experiences with the next generations of investors, who will?

wholesaling-market

Related: An Experienced Investor Answers: Is a BiggerPockets Pro Membership Worth It For Newbies?

Summary

In conclusion, I can understand why some might be afraid or discouraged sometimes. But I’m sticking it out to give back and create value for others as I can. I hope I can be of real value for others looking for answers and am confident I’ll keep finding great nuggets to use in my business, as well as great people to do deals with.

The key here is always to vet whose advice you listen to. Know what to drown out versus what to adopt as constructive and well-meant criticism. Don’t assume they are doing well unless you check them out. You don’t know if they are really walking the walk or just talking the talk.

How do YOU separate the valuable information out there from the not-so-great advice and negativity?

Let me know with a comment!

By Sterling White
Sterling is an multifamily investor specializing in value-add apartments in Indianapolis and other Midwestern markets. With just under a decade of experience in the real estate industry, Sterling w...
Read more
Sterling is an multifamily investor specializing in value-add apartments in Indianapolis and other Midwestern markets. With just under a decade of experience in the real estate industry, Sterling was involved with the management of over $10MM in capital, which is deployed across a $18.9MM real estate portfolio made up of multifamily apartments. Through the company he founded Sonder Investment Group, he owns just under 400 units. Sterling was featured on the BiggerPockets Podcast and has been contributing content to BiggerPockets since 2014, with over 200 posts on topics ranging from single family investing and apartment investing to wholesaling and scaling a business.
Read Less
12 Replies
    Account Closed from Wollongong, New South Wales
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Good article, Sterling. And it needed to be said. As an Attorney and former Tax Examiner, I cringe at some of the advice being spouted by people who are just repeating something, with no regard for the possible damage they are doing. Please folks, don’t do that. You probably have good, valuable information based on your experiences. Stick to that. Anything else, just suggest that it might be a possibility, and let the community join in.
    Sterling White Rental Property Investor from Indianapolis, IN
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Totally agree Michael. Thank you for the comment.

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
    Jon Levine from wpb
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Sterling I find you always provide value. Thank you for your post.
    Sterling White Rental Property Investor from Indianapolis, IN
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Thank you for the kind words Jon & great to hear from you. Glad you find value in the content.

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
    Darnell Griggs from Leesburg, Virginia
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Thanks for sharing as a newbie to this site, It is alot of valuable information on here that what I found across the internet. I try not to listen to the negative feedback just because that is that persons experience. Other times it can be helpful to make someone better and achieve what they seek to accomplish. You’ll never know til you try for yourself
    Sterling White Rental Property Investor from Indianapolis, IN
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Thank you for the comment Darnell. As you stated it’s best to go out in the marketplace & take action. Have you made your first deal, Darnell?

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
    Tom Keith Investor from Longview, Texas
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Thanks again for a good message that bears repeating often for all to see. We do not want to be responsible for making someone have a problem or run them off before they are able to be a positive influence to the next person. There Is so much information on the site and wasting time looking at negatives is not my desire. Keep on Sterling.
    Sterling White Rental Property Investor from Indianapolis, IN
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Thank you for the kind words Tom. What have you learned from your time on this platform?

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
    Casey Murray Investor from San Diego, CA
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Great article, Sterling. Instead of being the negative Nancy, prove your point by asking a question that challenges the status quo. This is a page taken out of “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
    Sterling White Rental Property Investor from Indianapolis, IN
    Replied over 4 years ago
    One of my all-time favorite books. Thank you for the comment/input Casey! What is the biggest piece of advice you have received on this platform that you have implemented in your venture?

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
    Karl B. Rental Property Investor from Columbia, MO
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Another great article! One thing I’ve been doing ever since I’ve been receiving BP e-mails is I have a Word document full of links of the best BP articles. Many are articles where the information is good and I know I will need to access the information in the future when the time is ideal (an example would be to read all the eviction articles when I need to evict). I will probably go through all of them and categorize them so when I am looking for a specific subject I can read all the articles with ease.
    Sterling White Rental Property Investor from Indianapolis, IN
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Karl thank you for the kind words. Let’s hope you will not come to using the eviction process article anytime soon! Wish you the best of luck in your venture.

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
Rotate Log in or sign up to comment

Related Blog Posts

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast Jan 09, 2021

BiggerPockets Podcast 433: You Get Your Standards, Not Your Goals: Ed Mylett on Success, Faith, and Building $100M+ Businesses

By BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

You may have heard a speech from Ed Mylett (AKA the greatest speaker of today) sometime before this episode, but maybe not like this. For those who don’t know, Ed Mylett is a renowned speaker, entrepreneur, real estate investor, author, and podcaster. He has started businesses worth millions and ...

Read more →

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast Jan 06, 2021

BiggerPockets Podcast 432: From $0 To $1,000,000 in 5 Years: 4 Steps To Gain Millionaire Net Worth With Brandon and David

By BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Who doesn’t want to be a millionaire? In this episode, learn exactly what it takes and how to get there—straight from two guys who have done it.

Read more →

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast Jan 02, 2021

BiggerPockets Podcast 431: How to Make Trade-offs in Your Life (Before Others Do it For You) with Greg McKeown

By BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Your agent is calling you to show you houses, your boss is emailing you about some work to do, your partner wants to grab dinner, and you want to take a nap. How do you prioritize things in your life when everything seems so important? The key is essentialism. Joining the podcast today is Greg Re...

Read more →

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast Dec 30, 2020

BiggerPockets Podcast 430: Best of 2020: Brandon and David’s Favorite Pieces of Advice from 2020 Guests

By BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Another year of the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast is in the books! This time, we’re joined by co hosts, David and Brandon, live from the Sea Shed in Maui! We’ve had such a fantastic group of guests this year, so to help ease into 2021, David and Brandon picked their 7 favorite clips from the ...

Read more →
Log in Sign up

Log in

Forgot password?

If you signed up for BiggerPockets via Facebook, you can log in with just one click!

Log in with Facebook

Or
btn_google_dark_normal_ios Created with Sketch. Continue with Google

Let's get started

We just need a few details to get you set up and ready to go!

Use your real name

Use at least 8 characters. Using a phrase of random words (like: paper Dog team blue) is secure and easy to remember.

By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions.

Or
btn_google_dark_normal_ios Created with Sketch. Continue with Google

Why create an account?

Receive a free digital download of The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing.

Connect with 1,000,000+ real estate investors!

Find local real estate meetups and events in your area.

Start analyzing real estate properties, we do the math for you.

It's free!

Explore

  • Membership
  • Community
  • Education
  • Marketplace
  • Tools
  • FilePlace
  • REI Resources
  • Perks
  • Glossary
  • Reviews
  • iOS App
  • Android App

Company

  • About Us
  • Press
  • Advertising
  • Careers
  • Stats
  • Contact Us

Important

  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Terms of Use
  • Rules
  • Privacy
  • FAQ

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
© 2004-2021 BiggerPockets, LLC. All Rights Reserved.