What makes you a heavy hitter on BP?
Most Popular Reply
Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
6yThanks for those that mentioned me. There has been a few points where I came to understand the power of the BP website into getting your name out there. The first time I was trading in my cell phone at the tmobile store, and the clerk kept looking at me, and my name on the computer while we were talking...and he finally asked me, are you Russell Brazil from Biggerpockets. Now I was use to people sort of knowing who I was at real estate events, but not in sort of random environments like the cell phone store. The next time was at a conference, and I just sort of ended up in the hallway with about 4 or 5 people and one of them was the keynote speaker, and about 10 minutes he was like your Russell Brazil from BP. So I was like wow, I cant believe this hugely famous person in our industry knew who I was.
This website and its members however have contributed immensely to my business, helped me to build my wealth, and I in turn contribute back into this site. It is for me a hugely symbiotic relationship. Many of my real life closest friends are people who I have met through this site. There are 22 BP moderators, (and a few past moderators) and getting the chance to be a part of that group has given me access to some of the best real estate minds in the country.
Im a huge believe that people should do what they love for a living. My 3 largest passions are real estate, investing, and personal finance. As a real estate agent and investor, I get to live my dream, and luckily my passions happen to be in fields that produce a high income. What some may, or may not know is that the largest percentage of my time spent working in my profession, is contributing to the BP forums. For me, it hasnt been the podcast, nor blogging on the site that return to me anything either financially or in satisfaction.....but posting in the forums returns both the satisfaction to share my passions and help educate others, but it also has had the largest financial return for me of anything in my business. These forums are perhaps the key reason Ive been able to become a top 1% real estate agent. (Though at the very bottom of that 1% percentile) I will actually be speaking at BPCon this October, if it ever happens on the subject of how vendors (agents, lenders, inspectors etc) can use the site to grow their business.
I do admit though, I like the votes, just like people like the likes and hearts on other social media sites. I am the 2nd biggest vote getter on the site behind @Jay Hinrichs.
District Invest Group545 Reviews
140 Replies
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes6y
I have a list of go-to people that I would consider heavy hitters here - I trust their advise and judgment just from seeing their words, advise and temperament here for many years. I am on my phone so I can't hyperlink them but I will do so in a bit. People like Jay Hinrich, Steve Vaughan, Joe Splitrock, Natalie Kolodij, just a couple off the top of my head. But that list is a lot bigger.
Skyline Properties @JD Martin, Thanks for chiming in! Can't wait to see what your go-to advisory board thinks. I've been thinking about this concept of niche- or mini-fame lately, and it's definitely becoming much more common place. Everyone is marketing themselves online (whether on purpose or incidentally), and there are more and more podcasts being produced, and interviews being given in Real Estate and all sorts of other categories. I wonder if most people are using the right criteria to decide who to listen to? Or maybe there's a new paradigm/cultural shift where people have to be more independent thinkers because there are soooo many influencers around?
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes6y
Originally posted by @Robert C.:
@JD Martin, Thanks for chiming in! Can't wait to see what your go-to advisory board thinks. I've been thinking about this concept of niche- or mini-fame lately, and it's definitely becoming much more common place. Everyone is marketing themselves online (whether on purpose or incidentally), and there are more and more podcasts being produced, and interviews being given in Real Estate and all sorts of other categories. I wonder if most people are using the right criteria to decide who to listen to? Or maybe there's a new paradigm/cultural shift where people have to be more independent thinkers because there are soooo many influencers around?
Well, I tell people all the time they need to think for themselves, and trust but verify. It can be a serious error to trust fame or notoriety to tell you how to invest or what to invest in. I've been on several podcasts but no one should listen to me because I've been on the radio. Listen to what I say, consider it from what might be my biases and self interests, and review it for accuracy vis-a-vis what you know and what you can observe from others.
Skyline Properties - Rental Property Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2014 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes6y
The ones that contribute, educate and share their experience without the expectation of gain are the ones I respect the most and would consider the 'heaviest hitters' on BP. They interact regularly on the forums and help others.
I would not consider once and done podcast guests or authors heavy hitters on BP, but that's just me.
To know who they are, most have above 1000 posts and a solid vote/post ratio, but that's the result of offering quality without a sales angle Im sure there are many 'in training' I'm just not aware of yet. I've seen serious quality come from new posters as well.
@JD Martin is def on my list. Also @Jerry W , @Jim K , @Joe Splitrock, @Joe Villanueva, @Jay Hinrichs (my 6 go-to Js👍) @Russell Brazil @Dave Foster, @Bjorn Ahiblad @Nathan G @Brian Ellis and many that I'm forgetting or used to did but don't anymore like Bill Gulley
@Steve Vaughan, It's probably not surprising that many of the names overlap - so there is at least some method behind the madness. What's interesting about the vote/post system is that when I first joined BP, I definitely would just look at the numbers, and if it was above 1k-ish votes (this is before more people had 5k,10k, 20k), I'd be just a little bit more careful about what I'd respond with. I'm sure there are a lot of other folks on the forums that do the same, which is kind of weird if you think about it. Cause those votes are just random people clicking buttons at the end of the day with no repercussions, or maybe even with an agenda...
Interesting that you don't put as much weight on the podcast guests. Although, to your point, BP does interview a wide range of experience levels. And there are many who've really only been investing a few years.
Speaking of names that come up a lot, I have noticed that a few folks that are normally heavy contributors have kind of disappeared lately. I hope they and their businesses are okay! Maybe it's nothing, but it seems like contributions on the forums have gone up given the circumstances, not down.
There's a Mount Rushmore of folks on here who give really good advice/give their take on a subject and have a lot of RE experience. Many have already been named above. They're the ones who have done it and aren't afraid to share experiences and give their time toward answering questions and helping people. They're the sturdy base of this forum.
- Investor · Wilmington, NC · Member since 2016 · 211 posts · 262 votes6y
I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on vote count. We all see when a popular person on here posts the same thing as someone above them, yet gets 10 votes to the other persons 2. That’s just a fact jack. Welcome to social media.
- Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes6y
@Steve Vaughan
Perfect response. I find it as those who contribute and share their experience good or bad and are not afraid to question others.
There are others who are just trying to sell a product.
7e investments53 Reviews @Karl B., I have to admit - more than anything else, I find it amazing for people to not only give their time/knowledge, but also to have the patience to keep answering the same questions over, and over, and over...
@William Walker, I agree that this is just part of being on social media. I feel like the pace of social media's affect on modern culture is picking up speed, due to all the new content being produced. I mean just taking real estate, there are too many podcasts on the subject to even count now. And then there's the mistrust of traditional media source, too.
Just another thought. I was going through @Russell Brazil's post on "What Is Your Net Worth Or Passive Income Goal?" that's trending right now, and I think that there's also an underlying assumption that the heavy hitters make a certain amount of cashflow or have a certain net worth.
I am not sure I buy into the idea of "heavy hitters" - but for me, there are a couple folks that clearly know the topic and also have made money doing what they post about and give their knowledge freely
However a lot of these folks get poo poo'd as too conservative etc.
I would never take the advice of someone just because the are "famous" online or have a following.
i dont feel the need to name those I respect, just suggest folks listen to those that have done what you want to do and beware those that have something to sell.
- 6yAnthony GaydenPro MemberRental Property Investor · Omaha, NE · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
@Robert C.
I think the heavy hitters here are those who share their knowledge and experience consistently over a long period of time. They have done a lot of deals and don’t mind sharing what info they have while still being humble and admitting what they don’t know.
Perhaps they contribute extra by going to meetups, writing articles, making videos, going on the podcast, or just starting excellent forum topics.
- 6yJay HinrichsBusiness MemberReal Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
Robert I would like to comment on the Pod cast thing.. I just started to watch U tube in the last 6 to 8 months primarily for cooking recipes and Aviation related episodes, in northern CA there is Juan Browne and his Bloncolori channel I like him a lot.
As for all the folks in real estate that I have taken the time to view a few of theirs. Its taken me a while to understand what they are doing and it appears they are really just tying to make money on U tube income and referrals to other providers and giving their personal read on real estate or they like to interview folks so they build content.
some of it is OK some of it they simply have no clue in my mind about how these deals work and come together..
BP Is a great site I got hooked on it ( obviously LOL).. ANd for me its really just relating my personal experiences in many types of real estate endeavors i have been in over the last 4 decades.. does not make me a super star in any way shape or form.. ANd like on the post russ put up on Net worth.. I had it going on until the GFC and then got my butt handed to me in a hand basket along with a ton of other developers / landlords /lenders which is what I was doing at the time.. So I am Ok with sharing hey it can happened to anyone in real estate and I am OK taking the conservative approach when talking about debt etc. Do I wish I still owned all the properties I once owned in the SF Bay AREA your darn tootin LOL.. but its all good.
So lastly on Bp you did have the owners of the site in the beginning encouraging people to welcome new members so i called them welcome wagon posters.. they would really only post to welcome and cut and paste whatever they wanted to say and really never contributed past that.. took me a few years to realize though what those folks were doing. So Post count can be very deceiving in that regard To me its the Up votes that is the metric and a lot of the folks you tagged you will see have more votes than posts.. and some by a huge margin so in my mind they are providing good content that is well received. - Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes6y
Thanks for those that mentioned me. There has been a few points where I came to understand the power of the BP website into getting your name out there. The first time I was trading in my cell phone at the tmobile store, and the clerk kept looking at me, and my name on the computer while we were talking...and he finally asked me, are you Russell Brazil from Biggerpockets. Now I was use to people sort of knowing who I was at real estate events, but not in sort of random environments like the cell phone store. The next time was at a conference, and I just sort of ended up in the hallway with about 4 or 5 people and one of them was the keynote speaker, and about 10 minutes he was like your Russell Brazil from BP. So I was like wow, I cant believe this hugely famous person in our industry knew who I was.
This website and its members however have contributed immensely to my business, helped me to build my wealth, and I in turn contribute back into this site. It is for me a hugely symbiotic relationship. Many of my real life closest friends are people who I have met through this site. There are 22 BP moderators, (and a few past moderators) and getting the chance to be a part of that group has given me access to some of the best real estate minds in the country.
Im a huge believe that people should do what they love for a living. My 3 largest passions are real estate, investing, and personal finance. As a real estate agent and investor, I get to live my dream, and luckily my passions happen to be in fields that produce a high income. What some may, or may not know is that the largest percentage of my time spent working in my profession, is contributing to the BP forums. For me, it hasnt been the podcast, nor blogging on the site that return to me anything either financially or in satisfaction.....but posting in the forums returns both the satisfaction to share my passions and help educate others, but it also has had the largest financial return for me of anything in my business. These forums are perhaps the key reason Ive been able to become a top 1% real estate agent. (Though at the very bottom of that 1% percentile) I will actually be speaking at BPCon this October, if it ever happens on the subject of how vendors (agents, lenders, inspectors etc) can use the site to grow their business.
I do admit though, I like the votes, just like people like the likes and hearts on other social media sites. I am the 2nd biggest vote getter on the site behind @Jay Hinrichs.
District Invest Group545 Reviews - Rental Property Investor · New York City · Member since 2019 · 90 posts · 122 votes6y
I feel a heavy hitter can be anyone in the real estate industry, doesn't necessarily have to be an investor per say. As @Jay Hinrichs said its the content that is well received for a long period of time that speaks volumes. If I see someone with more votes then posts (preferably in the numbers of 10,000+) your a "big dog" lol.
Originally posted by @Robert C.:
@Karl B., I have to admit - more than anything else, I find it amazing for people to not only give their time/knowledge, but also to have the patience to keep answering the same questions over, and over, and over...
Great point. There are times when I read the title question on the unanswered discussion page that's a common question that has been posted many, many times on here and I admit I ignore it because I've already answered that very question and the poster should have simply searched for it on here to unveil pages of threads answering their very question.
When I want to learn something on here I always search for it and 90% of the time I find the answer to the question in a prior thread.
- Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes6y
@Robert C. A good way to check heavy hitters would be upvote-to-post ratio. If they have a lot more upvotes than posts, they probably provide good advice in general.
This would be a simple and quick way to check that. After that it would be number of posts and upvotes.
@Chris Seveney, Too much selling is definitely annoying, yet inescapable on the forums!
@Mary M., I've read a bunch of your posts, and I really think you bring a certain balance to many of the recent topics, and you have a unique perspective (especially in the "covid freak-out" threads).
@Jay Hinrichs, Now you're speaking my language! I used to be in web marketing before my real estate adventures began, back when it was really the wild west and there was soooo much stupid money being spent/made in online advertising. There still is, but I'd call it more like "Web 4.0" or something like that. I think people pick up right away that you are no-BS, have tons of experience, and are participating because you like to with no alternate motives. Have you noticed much in the way your life has change before vs. after BP notoriety? Small or big?
@Russell Brazil, I'm glad you admit that you like the votes! I'm pretty sure we all secretly do more than we would say. If only you had posted slightly sooner than Jay, then I would have voted for your post and NOT voted for his, just to help you close the gap! As with Jay, I think people see right away how much experience you have, and how you get straight to the point.
@Caleb Heimsoth, I'm all about the ratio, for sure. You seem to be about 1:1, so what does that mean?? (just kidding). I think this whole "heavy hitter" term caught my attention cause it's just such an "alpha" phrase. What would be the opposite... "light weight"? Yikes.
@Ladè Baruwa, I wonder how long it took Jay and Russell to get their 10 thousandth post and vote. Do you remember, fellas?
- Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes6y
Originally posted by @Robert C.:
@Chris Seveney, Too much selling is definitely annoying, yet inescapable on the forums!
@Mary M., I've read a bunch of your posts, and I really think you bring a certain balance to many of the recent topics, and you have a unique perspective (especially in the "covid freak-out" threads).
@Jay Hinrichs, Now you're speaking my language! I used to be in web marketing before my real estate adventures began, back when it was really the wild west and there was soooo much stupid money being spent/made in online advertising. There still is, but I'd call it more like "Web 4.0" or something like that. I think people pick up right away that you are no-BS, have tons of experience, and are participating because you like to with no alternate motives. Have you noticed much in the way your life has change before vs. after BP notoriety? Small or big?
@Russell Brazil, I'm glad you admit that you like the votes! I'm pretty sure we all secretly do more than we would say. If only you had posted slightly sooner than Jay, then I would have voted for your post and NOT voted for his, just to help you close the gap! As with Jay, I think people see right away how much experience you have, and how you get straight to the point.
@Caleb Heimsoth, I'm all about the ratio, for sure. You seem to be about 1:1, so what does that mean?? (just kidding). I think this whole "heavy hitter" term caught my attention cause it's just such an "alpha" phrase. What would be the opposite... "light weight"? Yikes.
@Ladè Baruwa, I wonder how long it took Jay and Russell to get their 10 thousandth post and vote. Do you remember, fellas?
It means I balance good/nice advice with pragmatic advice that a lot of people don’t want to hear (hence less upvotes).
Jk I have no idea what it means. I know I post a lot.
@Caleb Heimsoth, If I'm not mistaken, I think your "7.5k" votes literally just flipped to "7.6k"... You're welcome.
- Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes6y
Originally posted by @Robert C.:
@Caleb Heimsoth, If I'm not mistaken, I think your "7.5k" votes literally just flipped to "7.6k"... You're welcome.
it rounds up. I current stand at 7551. Going for 10k plus of each. Probably another year or so to go to get that since it took 3.5 years to get 7500.
@Robert C.. Haha, I have always been a bit outspoken and a lot contrarian... i just try to add to the conversation by adding points maybe not considered by others. :)
- Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes6y
@Robert C.
Sifting through the alphabet soup of acronyms to come up with a meaning definitely is a step in the right direction towards super stardom
- Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes6y
I've been on Bigger Pockets for more than a decade, but only in the last year or two have I been active. I certainly enjoy the format and sharing my opinions. It is a healthier version of social media for me, that concentrates people with my shared interests. I am interested in sharing experiences and not looking to sell anything, raise capital or find deals on this site.
My initial impression of Bigger Pockets that it contained few heavy hitters. Those who post from my market tend to range from beginners to those with modest accomplishments. And at least one poseur! I found the biggest names in real estate investing from my region are not regulars on this site.
That observation shouldn't diminish the value of Bigger Pockets. It is a shared body of knowledge from hands on investors and entrepreneurs. I can learn from someone who only owns 12 rentals. It's all about experience.
Heavy hitters on B.P? Not sure since I don't bother researching people out of my region, but I certainly am aware of the heavy posters on B.P. And I enjoy most of their comments. Kudos to @Jay Hinrichs @Russell Brazil
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