Newbie to real estate

[Zachary Sargent]

Hi all-

I live in central Illinois, about halfway between Chicago and St. Louis, two hours each way. I want to learn the business of real estate investing. I want to get involved but I don't know where to start. Any suggestions on how to start would be appreciated.

[Rob Hayes]

Zachary,

Good luck on your adventure!

I think the best way to start is by finding someone in your market that is doing what you want to do and learn from them.   I'm not sure how rural of an area you are in, so it may be difficult to find...  Hopefully there is some kind of investor club, property managment or landlording organization in your area.  I would start there... Do whatever it takes to get in good with this person.  Volunteer to help him/her with a project...  Find out what investments work well for them... Find out what investments don't work well for them...  Learn from their experiences. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel.

Best of luck!