New Member from Ventura County, California

[Shani Levi]

Hi There! My name is Shani. I am new to the real estate investing world. I became interested in real estate investing after reading the book Rich Dad Poor Dad, watching Grant Cardone on Youtube and listening to a few BP podcasts ;) 

I am currently reading Brandon's book The Book on Rental Property Investing. I love how honest and motivating Brandon is and how he makes it seem like anyone can have a career in real estate investing! 

I have taken small steps and also attended my first real estate investing meeting last week.  And Today I am finally getting around to posting for the first time in the BP forums (as Brandon suggested!!) and I am hoping to connect with other investors on BP. 

I am interested in acquiring single-family rental properties in California. 

I am excited (and a bit anxious) by all the information that I have to learn about this industry. Looking forward to connecting with other investors in the Los Angeles and Ventura area.

Do you have any favorite books I should check out next? 

[Justin R.]

Originally posted by @Shani Levi:

@Justin R. Hi Justin, thank you so much for reaching out! What areas have you invested in both in state and out of state? Do you have any tips on investing out of state or how did you get over the fear of investing somewhere where you can’t physically be? That’s awesome and I command you for that!

I have invested in rentals in Texas (DFW), California (Thousand oaks and Simi Valley), Indiana (Hamilton County/Indianapolis), Michigan (Grand Rapids), Georgia (College town outside of Savannah), Maine (Portland). To answer your question, you don't want fear, you want a healthy respect for investing. Create a solid team you can trust, and factor in variables just in case. If you learn how to analyze appropriately, and buy in the right areas, and do you due diligence, it's hard to go wrong.

 Investing out of state tips...

1. Read Keven Greens book on "Out of state real estate investing"

2. Find a area that targets what you want (cashflow/appreciation), if you have some familiarity to the area it goes a long way.

3. Establish a team, with your property manager as the focal point. If you can find a Rockstar PM, they network with Rockstar agents, contractors, lenders, insurance brokers, etc

4. Actually travel to the area, see and know the neighborhoods, shake your teams hands (in person.)