19-Year-Old Beginner in North VA Learning STR/MTR, Co-Hosting, Real Estate Automation

[Haytham Abouelfaid]

Hey everyone, my name is Haytham. I'm 19 and based in Leesburg, VA.

I'm very new to real estate, but I've been trying to take it seriously instead of rushing into something I don't understand. I recently started attending Cash-Flow Breakfast Club events in the DMV/Northern Virginia area and have been learning about wholesaling, BRRRR, short-term rentals, mid-term rentals, and co-hosting.

Right now I can't really house hack because of my family/living situation, so I'm exploring lower-capital ways to learn real estate operations first. Co-hosting and STR/MTR operations seem interesting because I could learn the business without owning a property right away.

My background is in IT, automation, Google Sheets, Make.com-style workflows, and startup operations, so I’m especially interested in how automation can help real estate operators with guest messaging, cleaner coordination, owner reports, maintenance tracking, lead tracking, and deal analysis.

For someone early like me, what would you recommend I focus on first over the next 6–12 months?

I’m mainly trying to learn the right way, meet good people, and avoid beginner mistakes.

[Victor So]

Quote from @Haytham Abouelfaid:

Hey everyone, my name is Haytham. I'm 19 and based in Leesburg, VA.

I'm very new to real estate, but I've been trying to take it seriously instead of rushing into something I don't understand. I recently started attending Cash-Flow Breakfast Club events in the DMV/Northern Virginia area and have been learning about wholesaling, BRRRR, short-term rentals, mid-term rentals, and co-hosting.

Right now I can't really house hack because of my family/living situation, so I'm exploring lower-capital ways to learn real estate operations first. Co-hosting and STR/MTR operations seem interesting because I could learn the business without owning a property right away.

My background is in IT, automation, Google Sheets, Make.com-style workflows, and startup operations, so I’m especially interested in how automation can help real estate operators with guest messaging, cleaner coordination, owner reports, maintenance tracking, lead tracking, and deal analysis.

For someone early like me, what would you recommend I focus on first over the next 6–12 months?

I’m mainly trying to learn the right way, meet good people, and avoid beginner mistakes.

I know you said househacking is not an option due to your family/living situation. But, if I were you, I’d figure out how I could get a stable W2 job, save some money and get into a property with 3-5% down. In my case, i used to be a pharmacy technician in college so if I could go back, I’d work full time in a pharmacy (which would help me qualify for a loan), save money, and get into a condo/townhouse (preferably a SFH if not too expensive). I’d perhaps consider getting a cheap, dilapidated SFH and fix it up myself by watching YouTube videos and blogs.