College Student New to Real Estate — Looking for Advice on Getting Started

Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 3 votes

Hi everyone,

I’m an 18-year-old student at the College of Charleston, and I’m just starting my journey into real estate investing. I’m really interested in learning about cold calling and lead generation to help local investors and build experience while I’m in college.

I don’t have any experience yet, so any advice on how to get started, find investors to work with, or resources you recommend would be amazing.

Thanks so much for your help!

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Meghan Lewis
OP
Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 3 votes
1y
Thank you so much for the advice and taking the time to reply! I'll be sure to start simple and take in as much knowledge as possible.
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Patrick Roberts
Lender · Charleston, SC · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
The local REI meetups are a great place to get involved as well. REI Central meets on the first Thursday every month. The meetup is at Freehouse Brewing in North CHS at moment; it used to be a Palmetto Brewing but they closed down recently.
There are a few local acquisitions groups that do a fair amount of volume. You might be able to find a part time, commission only role with one of them on doing outbound stuff. You should be able to meet a few of them at the meetup.
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Meghan Lewis
OP
Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 3 votes
1y
Thank you so much! I will definitely look into that.
0 Reply
Preston DeanBusiness Member
Realtor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2021 · 779 posts · 368 votes
1y
HI @Meghan Lewis
Step 1: Learn the Basics:
Start by understanding how real estate investors make money. Focus on:
Wholesaling (finding deals and assigning them to investors)
Off-market deals (not listed on Zillow or the MLS)
How to talk to sellers

Easy Resources:
YouTube: Pace Morby, Jerry Norton, Ryan Pineda
Podcast: BiggerPockets Rookie
Book: If You Can’t Wholesale After This by Todd Fleming (great intro)

Step 2: Start Cold Calling
You don’t need fancy tools—just a phone and a script.
Start by making a list of older or ugly-looking homes (driving around or on Google Maps), and call the owners using info from sites like TruePeopleSearch.com.

Step 3: Connect with Investors
Once you find someone who wants to sell, you bring the lead to an investor who buys houses.
How to Find Investors:
Join Facebook groups like “______ (City) Real Estate Investors”
Go to local meetups
Message people on BiggerPockets.com

Step 4: Add Value and Learn
You don’t need to know everything—just bring energy and be helpful.
Offer to:
Find leads
Cold call for them
Help organize contacts
Drive around and look for rundown houses
Many investors will happily split profits or mentor you if you help.
[email protected]817-480-9452
United Real Estate DFW Properties 565 Reviews
Website View Page
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Meghan Lewis
OP
Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 3 votes
1y
Thank you for taking the time to share some advice! This will be very helpful moving forward.
1 Reply
Izaiah Barba
Wholesaler · Portsmouth NH · Member since 2019 · 208 posts · 95 votes
1y
Meghan, great to see you diving in so early. Here’s what helped me when I started with cold calling:
1. - Use a simple script as a guide, DM me and I can send it over.
2. - Pull a small, focused list; expired listings or absentee owners in your campus area to keep calls manageable. Or you can do driving for dollars.
3. - Block 1–2 hours, three days a week or so, and call through the list.
I did this while in college and closed around 25+ properties in 2 years. Hope this helps!
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