21-Year Old New to Real Estate!

21-Year Old New to Real Estate!

Member since 2026 · 1 post · 2 votes

Hello everyone my name is Jacob Pena and i am 21 years old an looking to buy and rent out my first rental property, however I am completely new to the real estate world and would love a mentor or a guide to show me the ropes of how I can go about dealing and purchasing rental properties. I am extremely committed to this idea and to any experienced real estate investors or companies out there I would love a guide/ teacher and would even be willing to work for you and your company for free as payment for what you have to teach. I look forward to working with you!

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  • Benjamin AakerPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Brandon, SD · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    8mo
    Hi Jacob, and welcome to BP! You should probably find someone local to mentor you. You should go to local networking meetups.
  • Real Estate Consultant · Ann Arbor, MI · Member since 2022 · 476 posts · 266 votes
    8mo

    Hi Jacob-

    You are 21 years old looking to get started in real estate investing and looking for mentors and willing to work in the business and learn.

    Congratulations on deciding to invest in real estate! It is a tax advantaged asset class you can control with very little of your own money and it's hard to break the need and model. It's timeless.

    Now, one way to earn as you learn is to get your real estate license and start helping other investors find deals and put deals together. It will also help you learn the market and be aware of opportunities and conduct your own property valuations or CMAs.

    Another way to get started is to find an experienced investor or investor friendly Realtor and help them with their business. Being licensed as a Realtor can help with this as you can help them generate leads contacting potential buyers and sellers.

    We represent the Michigan market and help investors from around the country invest in real estate and build their portfolios with all asset classes.

    To Your Success!

  • Uniontown, OH · Member since 2015 · 36 posts · 7 votes
    6mo

    Welcome man. One thing that helped me a ton starting out was learning how to quickly analyze deals before getting emotionally attached to them. A lot of beginners waste time chasing properties that never cash flow or flip well.

    I actually built a simple tool for exactly that — it lets you plug in purchase price, rehab, ARV, rent, etc. and quickly see ROI, profit, and max offer numbers side-by-side. It's helped me filter out bad deals way faster. Happy to share!

    Outside of that, I’d focus on:

    • Learning how to estimate rehab costs
    • Understanding cash flow vs appreciation
    • Running conservative numbers
    • Networking with local investors/realtors/contractors
    • Looking at 100+ deals even before buying 1

    You’re ahead of a lot of people already just by starting at 21 and asking questions.

  • Terrance HillPro Member
    Realtor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2010 · 425 posts · 117 votes
    6mo

    Hey Jacob welcome.

    Good on you for getting started early and being that motivated. A lot of people want mentorship but don’t realize consistency and learning deal flow is usually what matters most at the start.

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