Looking to Connect - New to Real Estate!
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Hey Gus, I recently got my license here in MA and started working as a real estate agent.
If your ultimate goal is to build and own your own real estate business, I’d recommend finding an investor- and business-focused broker and attending as many real estate meetups as you can!
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Hey Gus, I recently got my license here in MA and started working as a real estate agent.
If your ultimate goal is to build and own your own real estate business, I’d recommend finding an investor- and business-focused broker and attending as many real estate meetups as you can!
Cheers!! Makes sense, would love to connect more! Any tips on navigating meetups? Have you invested? How are you clients and you viewing the market? Worcester MA, are you a former Crusader (Holy Cross)?
Quote from @Gus Walsh:
Cheers!! Makes sense, would love to connect more! Any tips on navigating meetups? Have you invested? How are you clients and you viewing the market? Worcester MA, are you a former Crusader (Holy Cross)?
You can start by searching for real estate meetups here on BP or by using Google, Meetup, or Eventbrite.
I’m planning to start investing soon and house hack a multifamily property. I believe we have a steady influx of buyers and sellers here, along with a growing number of investors entering the market.
I’m actually not from the area originally — I went to college in Louisville, KY
- 5moArman AhmedPro MemberReal Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 960 votes
Quote from @Gus Walsh:
I am a young man ready to transition my career into real estate. I am looking for advice on how to get started - I want to ultimately own and run my real estate business.
I am also looking for advice on how to get involved from a job / salaried position perspective to gain the skills needed to create, develop, and run my business. I am in my early 30’s and have energy - I recently got laid off from my corporate job in a round of layoffs.
Highly interested to connect and learn from amateurs, experienced professionals, people within industry, and operating businesses past and present!
You’re actually in a great position right now because a lot of people enter real estate after a career pivot. My advice is to focus less on “learning everything” first and more on getting around active investors, contractors, agents, and property managers so you can see real deals happening in real time. Also, don’t feel locked into investing only in your backyard, a lot of people in higher-cost markets are building solid portfolios in Midwest markets where the numbers make more sense and cash flow is stronger. The energy and willingness to learn are honestly the biggest advantages early on. - 5moJimmy LieuBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
Quote from @Gus Walsh:
I am a young man ready to transition my career into real estate. I am looking for advice on how to get started - I want to ultimately own and run my real estate business.
I am also looking for advice on how to get involved from a job / salaried position perspective to gain the skills needed to create, develop, and run my business. I am in my early 30’s and have energy - I recently got laid off from my corporate job in a round of layoffs.
Highly interested to connect and learn from amateurs, experienced professionals, people within industry, and operating businesses past and present!
Hey Gus, welcome to BP and sorry to hear about the layoff, but honestly this could end up being the push that gets you into the business you actually want to build long term. Since you’re early 30s with energy and already thinking ownership mindset, I’d focus less on trying to learn everything at once and more on getting around people actively doing deals. A lot of people spend years stuck in “education mode” without taking action. One of the best things you can do is get into a role where you see transactions happen every day. Property management, acquisitions, wholesaling, leasing, lending, construction management, and even working for a local investor can all teach you valuable skills fast. You’ll learn how deals are analyzed, how contractors operate, how financing works, and how to solve problems in real time. I’d also recommend networking hard at local meetups and on BP because relationships matter a ton in this business. Most opportunities come through people, not spreadsheets. At the same time, keep studying deal analysis, financing, and market fundamentals so when an opportunity comes up you’re ready to move. Your first goal shouldn’t be building a huge company overnight, it should be learning how to consistently find and evaluate good deals while building a strong reputation. That foundation compounds over time. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!
Jimmy Lieu, Red 1 Realty4.9121 Reviews - 5moWale LawalBusiness MemberReal Estate Broker · Houston | Dallas | Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 2k+ votes
You have everything going for you that would allow you to make this move successfully – early 30’s, experience with corporations, and urgency work well in the real estate industry. In my case, had I been able to start all over again, I would have started with getting closer to the business: acquires, property manager, construction/project manager, or even just being involved with investors/operators would give you more information in one year than all the podcasts you could listen to ever would.
Good luck!
NETWORTH BUILDERS5236 ReviewsQuote from @Wale Lawal:
You have everything going for you that would allow you to make this move successfully – early 30’s, experience with corporations, and urgency work well in the real estate industry. In my case, had I been able to start all over again, I would have started with getting closer to the business: acquires, property manager, construction/project manager, or even just being involved with investors/operators would give you more information in one year than all the podcasts you could listen to ever would.
Good luck!
I appreciate the candor and guidance - getting around people in the business / industry is the way to launch into this, not getting too focused on learning materials soley. Cheers.
- 5moTerrance HillPro MemberRealtor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2010 · 425 posts · 117 votes
Appreciate you sharing, Gus. I’d start by getting clear on your path (wholesaling, PM, acquisitions, or rentals) and trying to get exposure through a small brokerage or property management company to learn deal flow and operations. At the same time, learn basic deal analysis and your target market. I’m open to connecting!
- Terrance, appreciate the advise! Yes, a small property management company is resonating with me asa place to further investigate!!!!!!! Any hints or experience in skills and knowledge in this area? Thanks, again for posting and replying - cheers.
Quote from @Terrance Hill:
Appreciate you sharing, Gus. I’d start by getting clear on your path (wholesaling, PM, acquisitions, or rentals) and trying to get exposure through a small brokerage or property management company to learn deal flow and operations. At the same time, learn basic deal analysis and your target market. I’m open to connecting!
- Lender · Miami · Member since 2026 · 7 posts · 4 votes5mo
Quote from @Gus Walsh:
I am a young man ready to transition my career into real estate. I am looking for advice on how to get started - I want to ultimately own and run my real estate business.
I am also looking for advice on how to get involved from a job / salaried position perspective to gain the skills needed to create, develop, and run my business. I am in my early 30’s and have energy - I recently got laid off from my corporate job in a round of layoffs.
Highly interested to connect and learn from amateurs, experienced professionals, people within industry, and operating businesses past and present!
Hi Gus, welcome to the industry. I actually feel like we have something in common. I transitioned into Loan Officer not too long ago myself after spending years in the corporate world.
From my experience, knowledge is important, but relationships are everything in this business. Learn as much as you can, but also make it a priority to connect, network, talk to people, and attend local events. A lot of opportunities come from simply being around the right people consistently.
It’s been a great experience for me the past couple of years and honestly I wish I would’ve started sooner. Stay patient, stay hungry, and keep putting yourself out there. Good luck!
Gus welcome — and the timing of a layoff, as painful as it is, sometimes turns out to be the exact push that needed to happen.
Here is the most direct advice I can give you for transitioning into real estate from a career background:
Get your real estate license first. It is the fastest legitimate entry point into the industry and it opens doors that are otherwise closed to outsiders. The education alone teaches you how transactions work from the inside.
Then find a broker who will mentor you — not just hand you a desk and wish you luck. The right broker relationship in your first two years is worth more than any course or certification. Ask how they train new agents before you sign anything.
Once you are inside the industry expand in every direction. Sales. Property management. Brokerage operations. Investor relations. Real estate has more career paths than most people realize and you will not know which one fits you until you are actually doing the work.
The agents and investors who build real businesses are the ones who ran toward the thing that energized them — not just the thing that paid the most at first.
You have energy, you have urgency, and you are asking the right questions. That combination works.
Jump in. Work hard. Figure out what fits and run toward it with everything you have.
You can absolutely do this Gus!
- Member since 2026 · 7 posts · 4 votes3mo
You’re so kind.
What a lovely region of the internet.
I’m also trying to figure out my start, and I’d love any feedback you might be able to offer me. I laid out my situation in my post on this same forum: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/55/topics/1292728-wisdo...
Thank you for any feedback you have!
- Member since 2019 · 33 posts · 23 votes3mo
@Gus Walsh welcome to the BP. I was in your exact spot in 2019! Owning properties and self managing them is a great way to learn how to run a business. RE is one of the safest businesses out there, its pretty hard (but possible) to loose money in it. Here are some of the advices I would give 2019 self, they will apply to you as well.
- Do not trust real estate agents, they are not on your side. Do your own research and calculations.
- Self manage your first properties. You will learn so much about how to run a business and owning homes, and it'll help you in the future.
- Buy the best deal on the market and constantly optimize. This worked very well for me, real estate works great over time. The first deal I bought was great then and is amazing today because the rents increased, I refinanced, optimized the spend, and now it does better than any stock, and does even better each year.
Do you already have a buy box in mind? I'm happy to share how we fundraise for our flip business and long-term rentals.
I see a lot of advice about getting started and while that's true, it's easy to lose money, which is a good teacher as well. I started to invest passively and graduated to more active investing which worked out well for me.
- Investor · Get yourself trained before doing something inadvisable. · Member since 2024 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes3moPeople who don't have a W2 usually benefit from using Creative Finance. No bank, no credit, no job needed. It does take some training and explanation though.
Quote from @Gus Walsh:
I am a young man ready to transition my career into real estate. I am looking for advice on how to get started - I want to ultimately own and run my real estate business.
I am also looking for advice on how to get involved from a job / salaried position perspective to gain the skills needed to create, develop, and run my business. I am in my early 30’s and have energy - I recently got laid off from my corporate job in a round of layoffs.
Highly interested to connect and learn from amateurs, experienced professionals, people within industry, and operating businesses past and present!
- Financial Advisor · FL · Member since 2024 · 466 posts · 113 votes3mo
Hey Gus, sorry about the layoff, but it's a great pivot point. To run a RE business, get paid to learn first. Look for Acquisitions Analyst or Asset Management roles at commercial firms in the CT/NY area. You'll learn how to underwrite deals on their dime. When you transition to buying your own portfolios, you'll bypass consumer red tape by using DSCR financing, where loans are approved based on property revenue, not your W2. Treat your next job as a paid apprenticeship for your future empire!
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