A few beginner questions...

[Joseph Davis]

Hello BP friends,

So I have recently discovered BP and I am really excited about it. I do not currently have any investment properties. The only real estate I have purchased are the homes I have lived in. I have a couple newbie questions. 

I think I am mainly interested in buy & hold properties. I am currently trying to save up so I can have that 20-30% down payment, as I do not have much saved right now due to recently purchasing a home. I am not a realtor but I was curious if there were any other ways besides your typical sites like Zillow and Realtor.com to find property? I have also looked on Craigslist but am still finding the same homes. I do drive around some on my free time too but I didn't know if there were any creative ways online to be able to find deals? Would joining a real estate investor's association be a good idea? Are there any criteria for joining a REIA or can people like me who don't have investment properties also join? Thanks in advance

[JR T.]

There is no membership criteria to join most REIAs. Most are happy to attract anyone who has the membership or meeting fee and might either bring them deals on day or be a source of cash for other member's deals. Connecting with other investors is in fact one of the answers to your first questions about how to find properties off the MLS. The other option is to do your own outbound marketing in neighborhoods and to demographics you're interested in acquiring.