18, First Property Down Payment

[Dax Bradley]

 i found a duplex that works perfect for me, but i'm afraid i'm gonna miss this opportunity and somebody buy it before i can come up with the down payment. i am only 3 months into my electrical apprenticeship so i don't make very much at my W2, and any extra money i have left (after necessities) gets spent on something else that pops up. so the question i have is, what would be the best way to go about this? as a young man wanting to get his first property as soon as possible.

[Bryce Jamison]

I'm sure this seems like the best deal ever and you don't want to miss it, but they'll be others. 

If I were in your position I'd spend the next 12-24 months educating myself through websites likes this and its family of books and podcast, other real estate podcast, books at the library, and local meetups. This will give you clarity on the strategy you want to deploy, and the confidence and knowledge to do it.

This will also give you time to pay off any consumer debt, save an emergency fund, and start saving for a property. You can also use the time to become an expert in your target market using websites like Zillow.