New to the forum, Just bought my first rental. Nervous.

[Stanley Cole]

Hi forum members.  I'm a newbie here.  I just bought my first rental in the Tampa, FL area.  I've wanted to do this years ago and then '08 hit and curtailed my plans.  I put 20k down and don't expect to make a boat load of money month to month.  Just thinking in the long term.  I have a great agent and a great friend who's experienced and very willing to give advice but damn, I'm a little shaky about the whole thing.  I'm hoping to get on solid ground with the first one and then go after another one in a year or less. 

[Andrew Fredrickson]

@Stanley Cole welcome to BP and congrats on doing your first deal! 

I echo what Alan said, finding good tenants could make or break you when you're first getting started. Make sure to screen them (credit/criminal checks and references) and make sure they can afford the rent. 

If I was just getting started, this is what I would recommend doing:

• Read Brandon Turner's book on Rental Property Investing https://www.amazon.com/Book-Rental-Property-Investing-Passive-ebook/dp/B018UTI2DO
• Listen to the BP Real Estate podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcast
• Listen to the BP money podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow
• Attend your local REIA meetings to network
• Start analyzing deals to get practice
• Engage more on the BP forums

All the best!

-Andrew