Looking to get started

[Michael Olivarez]

Hi my name is Michael. I am fairly new to BP. I have been listening to the podcasts for a few months now. I have never been more fired up than now about getting into real estate. My goal is to be financially free and I believe real estate is going to get me there. I just need to pull the trigger and get that first property. I am thinking about buying a duplex or 4plex to start. My main obstacle right now is student loan debt. I'm about 2 years away from getting rid of all my student loan debt. Once that is gone then I think the sky is the limit. I am in the south Texas area and in need of a good mentor. Any advice for getting started would be great.

[Trexie E.]

Hi @Michael Olivarez

Welcome aboard! We are happy that you have joined BP! I can't wait for you to get started. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or clarifications. We are always happy to help!

[Dave Visaya]

Hello @Michael Olivarez, welcome to the site! Here are some good places to start: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet- find and connect with other BP members that are in your area.

http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts - Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you.
And, of course the
http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums - ask any question about real estate!
See you around!

[Michael Olivarez]

Thanks. I looked and there are no meet ups in my area. Furthest south in Texas is San Antonio. I am in the Harlingen - mcallen area.

[David Fair]

Michael, there is a REIA club meeting that meets the second Thursday of the month in McAllen. Feel free to contact me to discuss getting started in the Valley if you like.

[Michael Olivarez]

David. That's great. What time are the meetings and where at? I currently work at DHR so I'm in the area most of the time.

[Andrew Acuna]

Michael Olivarez welcome fellow valley native! We do have a reia in McAllen but I have yet to attend: keep in touch and good luck with your goals!

[Rick Pozos]

Hey @Michael Olivarez, welcome to the forums. Even though there is a HUGE amount of information here, sometimes you have to do the leg work yourself. Perfect example: meetings in your area. All it takes is a quick google search: real estate meetings mcallen. I saw there were a couple of groups that meet every month. 

What you need to get started is to start. Start asking people that you know if they know anyone who is behind on their mortgage, behind on taxes or just need to get out of their home. When you find one of those people, you may have a deal. You do not need to pay off student loans to start, that is an excuse. I started right after I got divorced and then got fired. No income, plenty of debt and child support to pay. That is why I started, so that I could do all the things that I wanted to accomplish.

When you find a deal, you can always find someone to partner with you to fund the deal. 

[Michael Olivarez]

Thanks Rick. I appreciate the advice. I am going to try and get to those real estate meet ups in McAllen.