So I've been posting on this board for ~5 years now. I started knowing almost nothing about real estate (and still know very little tbh) but I spent a lot of time in the community and the immersion alone helped me grow. I almost exclusively post reply's on the board and rarely post new topic discussions but yesterday a friend was apparently trolling me and found my very first BP post, it was embarrassing to see, but it was interesting to see how much can change for those who spend time on this board. (I'll include that post at the bottom)

So I wanted to make this post to reflect on my time spent and hopefully encourage those beginners who don't post as much as they should or have a hard time gaining traction in this place. Participating in Biggerpockets has given me a tremendous return on investment, and it will for you as well if you commit. 

This initial post is nothing special, it's vague and not unlike a thousand other posts from beginners we see each day. Hardly anyone even posted on it, and yet I continued to inject my annoying comments into this forum over and over. I'm sure I've pissed a LOT of people off along they way, but I've also been fortunate to help a lot of people along the way as well, I enjoy doing both of these equally ;) ;) 

I stuck with real estate and now own 8 SFR and a 24 unit multifamily. I've made a ton of real life close friends through this site. Last year I started writing for the BP blog which has been incredibly rewarding and then I was asked to be on the BP podcast (and CRUSHED it!). This year they made me a moderator as well.

While bragging is fun, my real point is that this community will mirror your efforts. If you lurk, you can learn a lot, but if you interact, you can go stratospheric. It's not always that direct sometimes you have to put in a lot of work for very little return but over time it compounds in your favor significantly. I urge beginners to invest their time into this place, it's given me some of the highest returns on investment of anything I've done. 

I can't tag all the people who I would like to, lots of people have helped me selflessly and I'm grateful for them. Even more of you have tolerated my endless pot-stirring and smack talk and I'm double grateful for that.

@Mindy Jensen @Lee Huffman @Spencer Cornelia @Gary Crawford @Neil Henderson @Russell Brazil, all the Moderators, @dawn brenengen, @jay hinrichs, @j scott, @matt faircloth, and so many more. Thank you all very much. (if I forgot to name you and you're offended....good) 

Ok that's all, just neat to see this progress, I love this place and thought I would share. I will see you all at BPCON! 

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ORIGINAL POST \/

I've been reading, dreaming, and planning a real estate career for a while now. Making some moves, but on the cusp of doing more. I'm 30 years old living in Fayetteville/Fort Bragg North Carolina

I bought a condo a few years ago (which I didn't get a great deal on) for $65K, I just started renting that one out.

Last month I bought a house for my fiance. This was a foreclosure, I paid 54k and I believe I should have an easy 45k in equity in it, but I can't rent that one out as I need it for my family. I plan to pay it down quick to have access to the equity.

My long term goal is to buy enough rental properties to live (very) comfortably in, but my short term goal is to flip houses as a full time job. I'm having difficulty making this transition though, as many people do I'm sure.

I currently make pretty good money working full time (~70k/year) and I have excellent credit, so buying houses with conventional funding is easy, and building cash is easy. However I work a monster schedule so time to flip on the side is pretty much non-existent.

I come to BP for help! In my head, the perfect option would be to find a mentor who I could work for and teach me but no such opportunity has become apparent yet. How can I make the transition and flip houses full time time and give up my job security? I'm generally not a man who lets fear stop him from making moves but this has been tricky.

Also, I have pretty good knowledge of improvements, housework, and renovations in general. So it's not foreign to me, and I'll be getting my real estate license in the summer to try and find better deals. Sorry for the long and chaotic post!!!