I started buying real estate while working as a Radio Shack store manager at 21 years old, making around $30,000 a year and working 55-hour weeks. I did not have millions of dollars to deploy, so I had to get creative. Seller financing helped me build my early rental portfolio by finding sellers who wanted their price, then negotiating the terms that made the deal work. If you are a small investor trying to get started, this is how you compete without being rich.