Hello, my name is Stephen. I've been a member for a few months, but haven't really done anything here beyond reading some blogs and forums. I guess I should say something…

I live in Central Ohio, Graduated High School in 2012 and have been working at my Local Walmart for almost 5 years (That'll be a milestone). But I've had a feeling that continuing here for 20 years isn't going to bring me where I want to be, and while I am thankfully in a good place in life right now, I know that change is inevitable and I want to be prepared. I think investing in Real Estate would be a step in the right direction.

A couple years ago I had the bright idea that it would be cool to be a landlord someday, so I searched on Google "How to be a landlord" and I found Peter Harris's videos. I watched them all, then found the book he co-authored, Commercial Real Estate for Dummies, online, so I bought it and read it. Now that book is the foundation for my understanding of Real Estate; everything I learn stacks onto that information.

Hungry for more, I searched for more real estate videos and found Bigger Pockets on YouTube. After watching several of their videos, I found out they have this social networking website, and figured I could try it. So that's how I got here. My New Year's Resolution was to do at least one deal by next year. It doesn't seem like that's going to happen, but I have made a lot of progress since then. Surely I'll do one by 2021.

I hope to meet new people here, maybe some other investors in Central Ohio. Start networking, have good conversations, stuff like that. Well, I think that pretty much sums it up. I can't wait to see if anyone comments. Have a great day!

Hey @Stephen McDonald . Welcome to the site! I would suggest going to the local REI meetings. You can find the big ones on the event section of BP. I would also suggest using your income from Walmart to get a loan for a house. I believe that is the best way to learn how to become a real estate investor. There are many people that are interested in REI but never get started because of analysis paralysis.

I am a Realtor, property manager, and investor in Columbus, OH. Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you with anything.

@Stephen McDonald welcome, I'm a realtor and my plan is to get my first investment property next year myself. This year was paying off bills and raising the credit score up. I think my first move will be a owner occupied duplex. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Good luck in your business

@Stephen McDonald You will get something from any of the local meetups. There seems to be one for almost every night of the week including COIN, COREE, Dealmaker Sessions, Newbie REI Meetup, Nestrs, etc. I'd recommend researching each and maybe talk to someone who goes to almost all of them like @Joshua Hively .

The meetups are great, but if you want to progress, get around people who are doing what you want to do and can share time and wisdom with you (most people).

Seems like you’re off to a great start. Now go meet some people! 😀

@Stephen McDonald Welcome aboard, sir! There's quite a few of us here in Ohio. I never go to the meetings because they're just not my thing, but we're out there. :)

Harvey, BP will not let me tag you. Is it because you are on BP parole? HaHa Thanks for the shout though! @Stephen McDonald There are a lot of great networking opportunities and folks here in Columbus. Shoot me a message and I would be happy to talk to you about some of those opportunities.

Hi @Remington Lyman , Thanks for the advice. It's nice to meet you.

I've heard of Analysis Paralysis. It's an easy thing to slip into and can lead to many missed opportunities.

Hi @Kevin Miller , nice to meet you. I want to someday get into Commercial Apartments, maybe Office Buildings too. Someone I know who also invests in Real Estate recommends I start with a owner occupied duplex. Great job getting your credit score up and good skill in getting your first property!

Thanks for the recommendation, @Harvey Yergin IV . The book I read suggested looking at Nationalreia, but the closest Reia I found there was in Dayton. I recently google searched for ones in this area and found COREE, but they seem to meet on Wednesdays and I'm not generally free on Wednesday. I'll start looking for other meetups like the ones you listed. And of course meet other investors!

Hello @Bryan Blankenship ! Nice to meet you, thanks for speaking up!

Hi @Joshua Hively , It's nice to meet you too. Yeah Harvey was talking about those. He said you go to almost all of them. I can't wait to attend one to see who is there. Do you know if there's any on Mondays or Tuesdays? Those are my usual days off.

Also, what's BP parole?

Welcome to Bigger pockets Stephen! Im in Columbus quite often if you ever want to grab lunch. I am an investor, contractor and turnkey operator

Welcome to BP @Stephen McDonald !! You are in the right place to get help in reaching your goal! BP has an amazing community of investors and RE professionals. Take advantage of all of the resources BP has to offer!!

Best of luck!

@Stephen McDonald

Welcome to Bigger Pockets!

This is a great place to learn and network. A lot of forum members are very knowledgeable in their respective fields related to real estate investing, whether that is real estate sales, wholesaling, flipping, rentals, lending, self-directed IRA and Solo 401k investing, or tax and legal guidance.

Discounts on some products and services are offered to BP members: https://www.biggerpockets.com/perks/pro

If you haven’t been to it already, you might want to check out the BP blog: https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/

The site has quite a few tools that can be helpful for new members. I like the search features: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search

@Harvey Yergin IV

Thank you for posting your recommendations on meetups! I have been looking for new meetups to network. I have a local cleaning business and I clean Airbnb, apartment communities, small businesses, and post construction. I would love to network with you !

Originally posted by @Stephen McDonald :

Hello, my name is Stephen. I've been a member for a few months, but haven't really done anything here beyond reading some blogs and forums. I guess I should say something…

I live in Central Ohio, Graduated High School in 2012 and have been working at my Local Walmart for almost 5 years (That'll be a milestone). But I've had a feeling that continuing here for 20 years isn't going to bring me where I want to be, and while I am thankfully in a good place in life right now, I know that change is inevitable and I want to be prepared. I think investing in Real Estate would be a step in the right direction.

A couple years ago I had the bright idea that it would be cool to be a landlord someday, so I searched on Google "How to be a landlord" and I found Peter Harris's videos. I watched them all, then found the book he co-authored, Commercial Real Estate for Dummies, online, so I bought it and read it. Now that book is the foundation for my understanding of Real Estate; everything I learn stacks onto that information.

Hungry for more, I searched for more real estate videos and found Bigger Pockets on YouTube. After watching several of their videos, I found out they have this social networking website, and figured I could try it. So that's how I got here. My New Year's Resolution was to do at least one deal by next year. It doesn't seem like that's going to happen, but I have made a lot of progress since then. Surely I'll do one by 2021.

I hope to meet new people here, maybe some other investors in Central Ohio. Start networking, have good conversations, stuff like that. Well, I think that pretty much sums it up. I can't wait to see if anyone comments. Have a great day!

 Welcome to the site Stephen.