Accountant, looking to get into investing

[Adam Fenner]

Hi everyone,

I’m Adam, based in the Northwest Georgia area. I’ve been lurking on BiggerPockets for a bit  and finally decided it’s time to introduce myself and start engaging more.

By day, I work in corporate finance & accounting (CPA, but I have never been good with taxes) with a comfortable job. I’m grateful for the stability it provides, but I’m looking to expand my income sources and eventually transition away from the 9-5 grind. Though I’m in no rush and want to do this thoughtfully and sustainably.

I’m brand new to real estate investing and very humble about my current skill level. My strengths right now are mainly in analysis and learning quickly, but I know I have a lot to learn about the practical side of the business. I’m considering starting with wholesaling as a way to build real-world experience, finding motivated sellers, running numbers, negotiating, build a team, and starting capital. Possibly by partnering with someone more experienced or working for sweat equity to learn the ropes. My longer-term goals are to move into flipping and rental properties once I have some solid experience under my belt. But I'm throwing myself out here to learn.

I’d love to connect with folks in the Georgia/Tennessee area or anyone willing to share advice on getting started ethically and building skills the right way. I frequently travel for work to Phoenix, SoCal, and New Jersey. Happy to contribute where I can (even if it’s just helping with basic analysis questions) and looking forward to being part of this community.

Thanks in advance for the team's guidance and support.

Side note I'm a retired Army veteran and always happy to connect with veterans in any community. 

Best, Adam

[Stephen Quesinberry]

Quote from @Adam Fenner:

Quote from @Stephen Quesinberry:

Adam — welcome, and appreciate your service. I’m an Army veteran as well and have been an investor for about 10 years now since I got out! 

You’re in a great spot with your background and the way you’re thinking about this. The biggest thing I’d recommend early on is staying consistent and not trying to learn every strategy at once.

Wholesaling can be a good way to get reps, but regardless of the path you choose, I’d focus on narrowing things down a bit. Pick a couple submarkets you can understand well, define a simple buy box, and start looking at deals regularly. Even if you’re not ready to transact yet, that repetition is what builds your confidence and helps you recognize what actually makes a deal work.

You already have a strong analytical skill set, so the next step is just pairing that with real-world reps. Over time, you’ll start to see patterns in pricing, rents, and opportunities, and things will begin to click.

Happy to connect and help however I can. Always good to meet other veterans in the space.

Stephen

Always great to talk to vets. 

Getting in the reps is really the thing I keep reading, stepping past the talk and making mistakes. Or as we've affectionately titled them, "Learning opportunities."

Have you found your license helped you as you got into investing? 

The nice thing about a full time job is that I'm paying my bills. I'm also considering the license route to use commissions to fund future deals and network with other investors. But balancing the license requirements I worry about. 

Having an agent license and MLS is definitely a positive, but it can be distracting, especially if you have a full time job already. I did not start out this way, but gradually added it later. I'd say it really depends on the demands of your W2 and getting into investment real estate will take alot of effort as it is.