NEWBIE FROM SO CAL

[Justin Roldan]

My name is Justin Roldan. I am a new member from Southern California. I have a full time job and am very much interested in REI. I own a single family home where I reside with my family in Bellflower,CA. As of right now, my initial strategy is to buy and hold. I have limited knowledge at this point. Just a few questions for the group: what book(s) would you recommend to learn the basics of real estate?, how do many obtain the principal to buy their 1st investment property after buying the property they reside in? Thank you in advance for your response.

[Account Closed]

Hey Justin congratulations on taking steps and getting out in the REI world and doing something. Taking some action alone is more than many people will ever do in this business.

I think joining BP is a great first step. You'll find a ton of useful and relevant information not to mention all of the contacts too. 

I would suggest you join a local real estate investor group in your immediate area and go to meetings, network, find out what other investors are doing there. Real estate markets do vary so what is working in one locale may not be the same as another. Learning firsthand from other investor experiences can be incredibly valuable for your own education.

As far as financing I personally got started using hard money lenders. I didn't have a lot of money out of the gate so for me using a hml made sense. This was about 10 years ago or so and I just continued to gradually build off my first investment. I know there are a lot of hmls in the CA area if that is a route you end up considering.

Good luck!