Getting Started in Real Estate Investing While Working Full-Time – Looking for Advice

[Steve Barba]

Hey everyone,

I’ve been spending a lot of time learning about real estate investing and finally decided it’s time to stop sitting on the sidelines and start taking action.

A little about me — I come from a finance/accounting background and currently work full-time, so I’m trying to figure out the most realistic path to get my first deal done while balancing a 9–5 schedule.

Right now, I’m exploring a few different strategies:

• Wholesaling (for quicker entry and experience)
• Buy & hold (long-term wealth building)
• Possibly small fix & flips (depending on risk and capital)

I’m especially interested in:

• How you all got your first deal
• What strategy worked best starting out with limited time
• Biggest mistakes you made early on that I should avoid

I’m located in Yuma Arizona, so if anyone has insights on this market or what’s working right now, I’d really appreciate it.

At the end of the day, I’m not looking for theory — I’m looking to actually get traction and close something in the near future.

Appreciate any advice from those who’ve been through it.

[Marcus Auerbach]

Scratch wholesaling off your list! It is hard enough to find a deal that is good enough for yourself (most noobs here never find one), before you can find a deal that is good enough for someone else AND has some extra profit for you. It's a very popular pipedream!

That leaves you with a buy&hold, or if you have the background for it, a BRRRR. But even a regular buy&hold will have a fair amount or work, plus you have to learn the whole PM side, so plenty to cut your teeth and get started.