Where do I start. Bigger Pockets has so much information out...

Question

Rather late to the BP world and seeing all the information seems overwhelming. Any podcast episodes you'd recommend me to listen to or tools on the site you'd recommend a fresh newbie to start with?

What is some advice you would give to a young real estate investor just starting out?

What mistakes did you make when you first started Real Estate Investing that you would correct if you could go back in time?

Dave Van Horn · Answer

Great advice above! Although I'm a little biased towards episodes #28 and #273 ;)

No but really, the podcasts are a great place to start as well as the Books Section. Brandon's books especially if you're new though they all bring value to different niches. The forums are great too because you can pretty much get any questions you have answered relatively quickly, if they haven't been answered already (and after spending some time in the forums and searching keywords you'll soon realize...most have been asked/answered).

As for mistakes starting out? The biggest for me was I didn't network enough sooner. Now you have the beauty of the internet and BP, but REIA's and local in-person networking can be priceless. I was a lone wolf for the first decade or so of my career and it really stunted my growth. Also, once you start to get the hang of things don't be afraid to think bigger!

Nicole A. · Answer

Many people start at podcast #1 and just listen to them all! There is the investing podcast series and also a more recent addition is the podcast series more focused on personal finance. If your personal finances are not the best, I highly suggest you start there. Learn about debt (and how to get out of it). Learn how others decreased expenses or did creative things to get out of debt.

See if there are REIA meetings/groups in your area, and attend those meetings. You can google these and also check the website called MeetUp.

Learn basics about real estate, and decide what part of it you want to focus on. Don't try to do *everything*. Just pick one thing to start out and research it.

Welcome to BP!