New to Real Estate Investing

Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 4 votes

Hello Everyone,

I’m Hunter and I’m new to real estate investing. Really starting to dive into the art of wholesaling as well as fix and flips to start off my real estate career and continue to grow from there. I am based in the Inland Empire and would appreciate any advice for someone like me just getting started. If you’re local to the area please feel free to reach out I would love to start making connections in the community!

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Gabriel Chham
New to Real Estate · San Diego, CA · Member since 2020 · 23 posts · 7 votes
2mo
Hi Hunter, I'm a local realtor in Chino Hills. Let's connect and chat. 619.452.4221
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Eric Gerakos
Investor · Costa Mesa, CA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2mo
I wouldn't start with wholesaling or fix and flip. They both require knowledge that beginners don't have yet and even experienced investors can lose money in fix and flip. Educate yourself about investing and save your money. The current market is a tough place for beginners.
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Garret Rumbea
Inland Empire, CA · Member since 2017 · 151 posts · 79 votes
2mo
Hey@Hunter Korn good to meet you. I'm based out of Temecula area. My partners and I invest in larger multifamily out of state. Always happy to connect with locals in the space
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Andrew PostellPro Member
Lender · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 6k+ votes
2mo
@Hunter Korn welcome and thanks for posting! I see you have some good comments already. I would also suggest to connect locally through local real estate meetup groups. Meetup.com is a good resource for those but some of the groups will also post here on Bigger Pockets Marketplace too. Even facebook might have some good local groups for you. Some of those facebook groups have thousands of members. Oh, eventbrite too. You can literally fill out your calendar with all the meetings that are close to you.
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Ken M.
Investor · Get yourself trained before doing something inadvisable. · Member since 2024 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2mo
Quote from @Hunter Korn:

Hello Everyone,
I’m Hunter and I’m new to real estate investing. Really starting to dive into the art of wholesaling as well as fix and flips to start off my real estate career and continue to grow from there. I am based in the Inland Empire and would appreciate any advice for someone like me just getting started. If you’re local to the area please feel free to reach out I would love to start making connections in the community!

The guy in Riverside that I'm teaching real estate investing to just moved to Arizona. Go figure. :-) Check and see if there are any REIAs in your neck of the woods. Lots of investors at those meetings.
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Ashish AcharyaBusiness Member
CPA, CFP®, PFS · FL · Member since 2017 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
2mo
Wholesaling and flips get taxed pretty differently, worth having that mapped out before your first deal closes. Wholesaling income is nonpassive and typically comes with self employment tax on top of ordinary rates, and once you're doing enough volume you're generally treated as a dealer. Flips fall into the same active, ordinary income bucket, plus SE tax if you're doing enough of them, so between the two you're mostly looking at similar tax treatment, the real difference shows up in timing and how expenses get handled, wholesaling assignment fees are simpler since there's no rehab cost basis to track, while a flip needs every rehab dollar categorized correctly since it all gets capitalized into cost of goods sold until the sale closes.

Since you're in California, keep in mind state tax stacks on top of federal here too, and an S corp election is worth running the numbers on fairly early if you're planning consistent volume on either side, that's what caps the SE tax exposure once the income starts adding up.

Happy to connect!
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Dmitriy Fomichenko
Solo 401k Expert · Anaheim Hills, CA · Member since 2012 · 18k+ posts · 6k+ votes
2mo
Hello Hunter, It's great to have you here!

Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts

Wishing you the best!
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Sean O'KeefePro Member
CPA | Accepting new clients | 50 States · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 871 votes
2mo
Quote from @Hunter Korn:

Hello Everyone,
I’m Hunter and I’m new to real estate investing. Really starting to dive into the art of wholesaling as well as fix and flips to start off my real estate career and continue to grow from there. I am based in the Inland Empire and would appreciate any advice for someone like me just getting started. If you’re local to the area please feel free to reach out I would love to start making connections in the community!

Welcome to the forum, Hunter. I'm also California-based, so it's good to see another local face here. Building on what @Andrew Postell said about meetup groups, one thing worth knowing early as a CA investor is that any LLC or corp you set up here owes the $800 minimum franchise tax every year regardless of whether you did a single deal, and CA also taxes S corp net income at 1.5% on top of everything federal, so the S corp math @Ashish Acharya mentioned still works but the savings look a bit different once you run CA numbers into it.

I think it's important to mention dealer status, since it's an easy thing to overlook when you're just starting out. Once you're doing enough volume the IRS can classify you as a real estate dealer, and dealer property doesn't qualify for 1031 exchange treatment or installment sale reporting, it's taxed as inventory. So if the long term plan is ever to trade flip profits into rentals through a 1031, worth structuring early which entity holds flips versus which holds anything you intend to exchange, otherwise you can end up tainting property you wanted capital gains treatment on. Good luck getting started, this community usually has solid people willing to point you in the right direction Happy to Connect!

This post does not create a CPA-client relationship. The information contained in this post is not to be relied upon. Readers are advised to seek professional advice.
[email protected]628-241-0888
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Brad SeidBusiness Member
Lender · Licensed in 28 States · Member since 2026 · 161 posts · 46 votes
2mo
@Hunter Korn

Welcome, Hunter! You're getting into a great niche. My biggest piece of advice is to build your team early. Good agents, contractors, title companies, and lenders can make a huge difference. If you ever want to talk through financing options for a flip or analyze a deal, feel free to reach out. Happy to help, and best of luck!

[email protected]248-408-3855
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- Ken M.
  Investor · Get yourself trained before doing something inadvisable. · Member since 2024 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
  2mo
  Quote from @Brad Seid:
  
  @Hunter Korn
  
  Welcome, Hunter! You're getting into a great niche. My biggest piece of advice is to build your team early. Good agents, contractors, title companies, and lenders can make a huge difference. If you ever want to talk through financing options for a flip or analyze a deal, feel free to reach out. Happy to help, and best of luck!
  
  "build your team early."
  
  Who that "is good and experienced" becomes "part of a team" that hasn't proven themselves?What's that about? I haven't met one experienced professional investor that fits that bill. It's a long arduous process and it takes time to get the right people you can trust. Real estate especially has no short cuts. If you find someone you can trust, let them run interference for you.
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Hunter Korn
OP
Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 4 votes
2mo
Thank you everyone who has responded and given advice. Im looking forward to continued learning and hopefully making my first deal by the end of the year
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Mohammed Rahman
Real Estate Broker · New York, NY · Member since 2020 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2mo
Hey Hunter,
You're getting into two strategies that can teach you a lot about real estate, but they each require a different skill set. Wholesaling is really about finding great deals and building relationships, while fix and flips require you to be disciplined with your numbers and manage renovations effectively.

One piece of advice I'd give is to spend as much time learning how to analyze deals as you do looking for them. It's easy to get excited about a property, but understanding your purchase price, rehab costs, holding costs, and exit strategy will save you from making expensive mistakes.

One thing that's helped me in my own career is simply doing. I've been in brokerage for a couple of years, and now I'm working on my first flip. I definitely don't have everything figured out, and I wouldn't say I felt completely ready before jumping in. But I had a solid understanding of the fundamentals, did my homework, and took the leap anyway. At some point, there's only so much you can learn from YouTube videos and podcasts. Experience is what really accelerates your growth.

I'd also encourage you to start building your network now. Connect with agents, lenders, contractors, title companies, and other investors. Even if you're not ready to do a deal tomorrow, those relationships can open doors and help you learn much faster than trying to figure everything out on your own.

Most importantly, don't get discouraged if your first deal takes longer than you expect. Consistency is what separates the investors who make it from those who give up after a few months. Keep learning, keep making connections, and keep taking action.

All the best! Feel free to reach out and connect with me - my DMs are always open!
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