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Marvin Eason
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Oceanside, CA
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Any how-to-guides?

Marvin Eason
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Oceanside, CA
Posted Aug 3 2008, 10:47

Hey guys, it's been a while (This is Marvin-The-Student) but I was wondering if any of the more seasoned vets have ever thought about writing up a how to guide for the newbies that join.

Just something very basic to get people on the path to what they want to do regarding REI. Like becoming a landlord, the advantages, cons, why you believe it's better than wholesaling, flipping, etc or not.

Just an idea, waiting for feedback! :beer:

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  • Real Estate Investor
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Account Closed
  • Real Estate Investor
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Replied Feb 20 2008, 18:44

Interesting idea.

Are you thinking about a group process with one or more editors pulling it together? Maybe experts per topic/chapter.

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  • Minneapolis, MN
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  • Minneapolis, MN
Replied Feb 20 2008, 18:46

MarvinE,

Alot of the forums have threads that are basically the how to guide you are seeking. That's why they are divided up into the different cartegories. I know you asked for one single how to article, but I think most investors would say that it depends on what you are trying to achieve, what your background is and experience, if you are full time or part time, how much cash and or credit you control, and what kind of market you are investing in. Some books suggest that landlording is more for the long term investor, while others say that flipping houses is better because you get in and out with less liability and less need for alot of up front cash. Good luck perusing the forums. Mike

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Marvin Eason
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Oceanside, CA
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Marvin Eason
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Oceanside, CA
Replied Feb 20 2008, 18:49
Originally posted by "REI":
Interesting idea.

Are you thinking about a group process with one or more editors pulling it together? Maybe experts per topic/chapter.

Yes sir, that would be great, if we could get like a collective mind on all things REI, and put out a guide each month over various subjects, and once they have been edited for a good reading, post them as a sticky!

:superman:

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Account Closed
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Replied Feb 20 2008, 19:24
Originally posted by "MarvinE":
Originally posted by "REI":
Interesting idea.

Are you thinking about a group process with one or more editors pulling it together? Maybe experts per topic/chapter.

Yes sir, that would be great, if we could get like a collective mind on all things REI, and put out a guide each month over various subjects, and once they have been edited for a good reading, post them as a sticky!

:superman:

A guide vs. 12 guides, one per month is a different deal.

How well edited do you expect things to be? It could be a lot of work is this is a serious guide.

Who is the audience? What is the benefit to the folks contributing? Is the guide going to be something that could be sold or is it just a fun way to discuss topics in fine detail?

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Marvin Eason
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Oceanside, CA
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Marvin Eason
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Oceanside, CA
Replied Feb 20 2008, 20:48
Originally posted by "REI":
Originally posted by "MarvinE":
Originally posted by "REI":
Interesting idea.

Are you thinking about a group process with one or more editors pulling it together? Maybe experts per topic/chapter.

Yes sir, that would be great, if we could get like a collective mind on all things REI, and put out a guide each month over various subjects, and once they have been edited for a good reading, post them as a sticky!

:superman:

A guide vs. 12 guides, one per month is a different deal.

How well edited do you expect things to be? It could be a lot of work is this is a serious guide.

Who is the audience? What is the benefit to the folks contributing? Is the guide going to be something that could be sold or is it just a fun way to discuss topics in fine detail?

well we don't have to have 12 guides, :shock: I am just shooting out ideas. It would be a serious guide, it's target audience are those new to bigger pockets, who have a general idea of what they want out of REI, but are not sure how to obtain it.

Sure they could read all the forums, since that is what they are here for, but to have a few BASIC guides out there for instance, "So you want to be a landlord but have no idea how to do it", could be a starting point for them. Then if they have more questions they can utilize the forums at that point.

I was thinking of something to start off as a jumping point, for them to get their informational feet wet. But it wouldn't be sold, it would be something that all the vets here could contribute to, we all love putting our .02 into subjects so I am sure it could be fun.

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Eric Reinard
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  • Denver
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Eric Reinard
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Denver
Replied Feb 20 2008, 23:53

The best place to find "How To" Guides, free of charge is: The public library.

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Joshua Dorkin
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  • BiggerPockets Founder
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Joshua Dorkin
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Replied Feb 21 2008, 11:19

Right now, all we have in terms of a "guide" similar to what you've spoken about is a FAQ that we started to pull together, but have yet to get very far. You can see it at:
http://www.biggerpockets.com/investing-guide/

It is one of those things that was put on the backburner as we focused on the site's redevelopment. I'm open to suggestion for improving or redoing this "guide" as it is clearly only in the very earliest of stages of completion.

As others have said, the world of REI is so vast that it is a real challenge to build something basic, as each new topic/question leads to more that get increasingly detailed as you move forward. Eventually, you've got an encyclopedia or a forum...... which leads us back to where we are now.

Another issue on building this is simple manpower. Given time constraints, without the assistance of the community, building such a document is getting increasingly challenging. We're happy to see if there are people interested in taking the lead on this.

I thought this might give you a bit of insight into things and possibly help get the ball rolling in one way or another.

Thanks