Why the “No Money, No Skills, No Experience” Narrative in Real Estate Is Misleading

[Joel Link]

I might get some pushback here, but I think parts of the real estate investing narrative have taken a turn for the worse.

First, let me say this: every industry has snake-oil salesmen. They flaunt their cars, vacations, and “passive income,” and claim that if you just take their course, buy their coaching, or read their book—you’ll have it all too.

In real estate, the biggest misconception they push revolves around financing. You’ve probably heard the line: “Don’t worry if you don’t have any money, skills, or experience—you just need to grind!”

It sounds great, but it doesn’t add up.

Think about it: would you trust a doctor with no degree who says they’re just “learning on the job”? Or hand your car to a mechanic who’s never fixed one before but promises to “give it their best shot”? Of course not. So why should it be any different in real estate, where the stakes are often higher and involve other people’s life savings?

The truth is: if you have no skills, no track record, and no capital, you shouldn’t expect anyone—even family—to invest with you. It’s a disservice to them and to yourself.

Now, this isn’t me trying to discourage people from real estate investing. Far from it. What I’m saying is: there are better, more realistic ways to get started.

• If you have capital but no knowledge: leverage your funds to hire experts. Pay for guidance, find a good team, and let experience guide your first deals.

• If you don’t have capital: start by building a skill. Pick one thing and get great at it. It could be painting, mortgage brokering, framing, or property management. If it’s a trade, practice at home—or offer to work weekends for a local company, even at minimal pay. Start as the gopher, then learn by doing.

Over time, you’ll build proficiency. And once you have a valuable skill, you have something to bring to the table in partnerships. For example, maybe you’ve become an excellent painter. At a networking event, instead of saying “trust me with your money,” you can say:

That’s networking equity. That’s credibility. And that’s how people will want to work with you.

Is this the quick, flashy answer people want to hear? No. It may take years before you’re running full-time deals. But along the way, you’ll have:

• A lifelong skill

• Real immersion in real estate

• A network of meaningful connections

That’s a much stronger foundation than chasing the guru dream of raising money with no experience.

[Joe Villeneuve]

Who says, “Don’t worry if you don’t have any money, skills, or experience—you just need to grind!”
I've been investing of a long, long time.  I've never heard that, or at least not enough close to that to think of it as anything like a huge "misleading" force.

I've heard bits and pieces of it.  I've heard you don't need "your own" money, You can use "other peoples skills", and other peoples experience, until you've built your own.