New member from Southern CA

[Brent T.]

Hello BP! My name is Brent and I am fairly new to the site and completely new to real estate. I am wanting to get into investing. I am curious to know how others got started. Also as far as financing have others had success with hard money loans? Or would you recommend another route for someone just starting out ? Thank you all and look forward to hearing from you. 

[Ben Stoodley]

Hi @Brent T. and Welcome!

Good to see more fellow SD investors on here. I'd suggest joining a team of investors if you are just starting out, especially if  you don't have much experience. There are many good RE investment groups around SD that offer good information. I'd suggest at least the monthly meetings for FIBI and SDCIA. They tend to have very good speakers and many people there willing to help and possibly build a team together. Building a team is essential for this business, especially in Southern California, where the prices are very high. Having team members allows you to pool money together for the down payment/holding costs and also increase your network outreach, to assist in finding those "diamond in a rough" deals.

You'll find  a lot of mixed opinion about starting out with Hard Money, and I would personally agree with most of them. Hard Money is an essential tool in most fix and flip businesses, but it is expensive and isn't always your best option. However, when used right, it can help expand you business very quickly.

Feel free to reach out and ask any specific questions you have. I am always available to help.

Thank you and best of luck!

Ben