18 Year Old Student (Cleveland, Ohio or West Palm, FL)

New Member Introductions
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18 Year Old Student (Cleveland, Ohio or West Palm, FL)

Jt Marting
Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes

Hi! I'm pretty new to the forums, so I thought I'd introduce myself and see what happens. My names JT Marting, and I've been interested in F.I.R.E. community for a few years now. After spending a year or so learning how the stock market works, thinking that was the most successful vehicle of building wealth, I stumbled across Ben Mallah on youtube. After a brief but not very educational introduction to real estate through his channel, I decided to look into it a bit more. After doing some research, I was awestruck at the fact approximately 90% of millionaires are created by real estate. This fact alone made me decide to flip the script and now focus more of my time and effort into real estate. After getting bombarded by social media influencer scams, promising how their wholesaling course will turn me into a millionaire, someone in the comments suggested that people who were actually interested in taking real estate seriously listen to the Bigger Pockets podcasts. Perfect enough for me, I already listened to about 1-2 hours of podcasts a day, so it fit right in line with my routine. Now after getting a basic grasp on real estate, i'm 100% on board of sacrificing 5-10 years of my life to set myself up financially. As a high school senior, i've been competing in personal finance competitions for two years now, so I already understood the importance of money management and have a mediocre grasp on the financial side of real estate like building credit, taking out loans, and helocs. Now as I take the next step down my life, i've pondered my options other than just the traditional college path. Currently, I live in Cleveland Ohio, but defiantly want to go back to Florida, where I grew up and the majority of my extended family resides, for the next step in my life. Since I have to pay for all my college tuition myself, I'm considering everything. Currently I'm leaning towards moving down to West Palm and living with my grandparents as I take a gap year in attempt to build residency in Florida. This could easily save me $20,000-40,000. Instead of leaving college with approximately $40,000 in loans after all my scholarships, I could graduate with more like $10,000-20,000. In a perfect world, when I moved down to Florida I could find some job doing the busy work at a real estate agency or lender to learn the business, or maybe just someone I could learn from. 

As a young adult now entering the world with a soldi work ethic and drive, I'm willing to do ANYTHING to get in the door. I will work so hard for anyone who's willing to take a step out of their comfort zone and work with a curious, intelligent young adult. Currently I have an internship at a widget manufacturing company and a job at a warehouse in hopes of building up as much money as I can, but as a young adult about to be stuck in the awkward phase between high school and college, I have no real commitments so i'm willing to drop everything in order to learn and potentially start my journey down the real estate path. 

Honestly, I felt like the 5-10 minutes it'd take me to type this out might have a little bit of a chance of paying off with some sort of connection or at least tip from one of the many experienced real estate investors, agents, brokers, and other people in these forums. If you've made it this far, which I doubt many people, if anyone, has, feel free to reach out. Trust me, anything you could do or say to me at this point in my career would be super beneficial and could set me down the proper path! If there's anything you wish you knew at my age, or just suggestions you have, please reach out!

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Remington LymanBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
5y
Originally posted by @Jt Marting:
Originally posted by @Remington Lyman:
Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

@Remington Lyman Wow! Thats a really big accomplishment. Congrats! Do you have any suggestions or tips that you feel could help someone young like me be successful in that journey?

 Get your real estate license and join a brokerage that specializes in investment properties.

Is it that easy? How would you recommend getting a job like that?

Yes, it is pretty easy. After you get your license you can start working for yourself.

[email protected]614-541-8475Podcast Guest on Show My Job Laid Me Off, So I Replaced My Salary with Rentals
Reafco512 Reviews
WebsiteView Page
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  • Joshua Noth
    Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2020 · 338 posts · 296 votes
    5y

    First off, welcome to BP @Jt Marting! You've definitely stumbled into the right community for making connections and learning/living REI.

    I appreciate you sharing your story, and I admire your drive and passion that you already have for this stuff.  That will help you tremendously down the line.

    I think an easy piece of advice to give (and one you have shown an understanding of) is to always continue learning. Whether it's simple vocabulary or how to properly analyze a market, there is always something new you can learn or do. People find new methods and strategies to be successful constantly, and you should be open to learning those, which you appear to be.  With that, never be afraid to ask questions - reach out to individuals, continue to post on the forums, attend meetups, etc.

    You seem to already have a plan laid out for yourself, so continue to build on that, and keep working hard.

    0Reply
  • Jt Marting
    OP
    Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes
    5y

    @Joshua Noth Thanks for the quick response! I know this is a pretty vague question, but do you have any suggestions on what I do to continue my education in real estate? I feel like i’m getting overloaded with the same simple tips. What can I do to take my real estate knowledge to the next level without actually closing a deal?

    1Reply
  • Joshua Noth
    Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2020 · 338 posts · 296 votes
    5y

    @Jt Marting Sometimes vague questions are good, no worries.

    On a basic level, listening to the different BP podcasts (not just the original - all of them) and reading books is a great way to continue making REI second-nature for you. Like you said though, sometimes you might find yourself not getting as much out of them.

    It really depends on your learning style.  Something that really helps me is finding one particular subject that interests me and learning everything I can about it.  Let's say you see a forum post about househacking, and that strategy fascinates you.  Exhaust EVERY MEANS you have to learning about it!!  Look for specific podcasts that have househacking in the title, look for blog posts about it (one of my favorite routes), look up videos on Youtube (BP posts lots of great content there too), continue diving into the forums about them, etc.  Go down that rabbit hole until you feel like you've really learned something.  And while you do this, don't just skim them! Actually read, listen, take notes where you see fit.

    You may have to sift through some of the information to find what helps/applies to you, but you will start to get the hang of effectively doing that.  You can even set up email-alerts for notifications, both on BP and on Google - set alerts for specific markets that interest you, specific keywords, etc.

    I hope that helps at least a little - I'd be happy to chat more if you want.

    0Reply
  • Jt Marting
    OP
    Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes
    5y

    @Joshua Noth That really helps! I think the idea of getting lost in a topic of interest until you know all the ins and outs is a good way to look at it and might help me a little bit more. I felt like I was just getting a generic surface understanding of real estate, but never really considered fulling diving into one topic. 

    Thanks for offering to chat more, but quite honestly I don't feel like i'm far enough along in my knowledge to really be ready to have an in depth conversation about real estate. Hopefully by taking the advice of those more experienced than me and reading around in the forums I can take my knowledge to the next level in the next few months and be ready to really dive into REI! I'll defiantly reach out if I have any questions though. Thanks for welcoming me to the forums and being so supportive!

    1Reply
  • Robert Matelski
    Rental Property Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 214 posts · 270 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

    Hi! I'm pretty new to the forums, so I thought I'd introduce myself and see what happens. My names JT Marting, and I've been interested in F.I.R.E. community for a few years now. After spending a year or so learning how the stock market works, thinking that was the most successful vehicle of building wealth, I stumbled across Ben Mallah on youtube. After a brief but not very educational introduction to real estate through his channel, I decided to look into it a bit more. After doing some research, I was awestruck at the fact approximately 90% of millionaires are created by real estate. This fact alone made me decide to flip the script and now focus more of my time and effort into real estate. After getting bombarded by social media influencer scams, promising how their wholesaling course will turn me into a millionaire, someone in the comments suggested that people who were actually interested in taking real estate seriously listen to the Bigger Pockets podcasts. Perfect enough for me, I already listened to about 1-2 hours of podcasts a day, so it fit right in line with my routine. Now after getting a basic grasp on real estate, i'm 100% on board of sacrificing 5-10 years of my life to set myself up financially. As a high school senior, i've been competing in personal finance competitions for two years now, so I already understood the importance of money management and have a mediocre grasp on the financial side of real estate like building credit, taking out loans, and helocs. Now as I take the next step down my life, i've pondered my options other than just the traditional college path. Currently, I live in Cleveland Ohio, but defiantly want to go back to Florida, where I grew up and the majority of my extended family resides, for the next step in my life. Since I have to pay for all my college tuition myself, I'm considering everything. Currently I'm leaning towards moving down to West Palm and living with my grandparents as I take a gap year in attempt to build residency in Florida. This could easily save me $20,000-40,000. Instead of leaving college with approximately $40,000 in loans after all my scholarships, I could graduate with more like $10,000-20,000. In a perfect world, when I moved down to Florida I could find some job doing the busy work at a real estate agency or lender to learn the business, or maybe just someone I could learn from. 

    As a young adult now entering the world with a soldi work ethic and drive, I'm willing to do ANYTHING to get in the door. I will work so hard for anyone who's willing to take a step out of their comfort zone and work with a curious, intelligent young adult. Currently I have an internship at a widget manufacturing company and a job at a warehouse in hopes of building up as much money as I can, but as a young adult about to be stuck in the awkward phase between high school and college, I have no real commitments so i'm willing to drop everything in order to learn and potentially start my journey down the real estate path. 

    Honestly, I felt like the 5-10 minutes it'd take me to type this out might have a little bit of a chance of paying off with some sort of connection or at least tip from one of the many experienced real estate investors, agents, brokers, and other people in these forums. If you've made it this far, which I doubt many people, if anyone, has, feel free to reach out. Trust me, anything you could do or say to me at this point in my career would be super beneficial and could set me down the proper path! If there's anything you wish you knew at my age, or just suggestions you have, please reach out!

    JT, first off, your ambition and ability/willingness to dive into this like you've been doing is admirable and sets you apart from at least 95% of the rest of Gen-Z for sure. I actually bought my first property shortly after graduating from high school myself (oddly enough, in Cleveland as well... though two and a half decades before you), and learned so much in the process. I ended up going to college full-time (on a full ride scholarship) at John Carroll University, which is in a suburb of Cleveland, and the part-time job I had at a supermarket at the time was sufficient to qualify for the mortgage, interestingly. I think it's safe to say I was the only JCU freshman who owned his own house (albeit a dumpy house in a rough neighborhood).

    I don't usually recommend that young adults should postpone or skip college... but in your situation I think there may be a clear case for an exception. You seem to have the hustle needed to make it, and you've clearly decided there's a [somewhat] specific direction you want to go (real estate). Assuming you can't go to college completely for free, it's not a bad idea to at least do community college courses, which will cost you less than most people spend on dining out in a year and count toward an eventual bachelors degree somewhere (if you can go for free though, via scholarships, you should take advantage of it for sure). While doing the community college thing, you'll have time to work and hustle hustle hustle. You can get your real estate agent's license in OH or FL (it's really not hard at all... a few online courses and a test that you can almost certainly pass on the first try). Or just work for an investor-focused mortgage broker. Or work for an investor. And while you're doing this, start a YouTube channel to share your story and your progress on your journey (I started one a couple years ago myself, and it has been a great learning experience in and of itself). As long as you have a W2 job of some sort you should be able to qualify for a mortgage fairly easily... buy something cheap and house-hack. Feel free to add me as a connection if you'd like and ping me for advice once you start weighing out some more specific alternatives. The world is your oyster, man... go get it.

    0Reply
  • Jt Marting
    OP
    Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes
    5y

    @Robert Matelski It’s a small world! I have a handful of friends who go to John Carroll!

    Thanks for the tips. I’ll definitely reach out it seems like you had somewhat of a similar path to me. Do you have any recommendations on how I get a job at a brokerage, mortgage company, or with an investor? I have a really, really good resume for someone my age, but I feel like that doesn’t really cut it in the real world. I’m struggling to make meaningful connections with people outside my inner circle.

    1Reply
  • Remington LymanBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

    Hi! I'm pretty new to the forums, so I thought I'd introduce myself and see what happens. My names JT Marting, and I've been interested in F.I.R.E. community for a few years now. After spending a year or so learning how the stock market works, thinking that was the most successful vehicle of building wealth, I stumbled across Ben Mallah on youtube. After a brief but not very educational introduction to real estate through his channel, I decided to look into it a bit more. After doing some research, I was awestruck at the fact approximately 90% of millionaires are created by real estate. This fact alone made me decide to flip the script and now focus more of my time and effort into real estate. After getting bombarded by social media influencer scams, promising how their wholesaling course will turn me into a millionaire, someone in the comments suggested that people who were actually interested in taking real estate seriously listen to the Bigger Pockets podcasts. Perfect enough for me, I already listened to about 1-2 hours of podcasts a day, so it fit right in line with my routine. Now after getting a basic grasp on real estate, i'm 100% on board of sacrificing 5-10 years of my life to set myself up financially. As a high school senior, i've been competing in personal finance competitions for two years now, so I already understood the importance of money management and have a mediocre grasp on the financial side of real estate like building credit, taking out loans, and helocs. Now as I take the next step down my life, i've pondered my options other than just the traditional college path. Currently, I live in Cleveland Ohio, but defiantly want to go back to Florida, where I grew up and the majority of my extended family resides, for the next step in my life. Since I have to pay for all my college tuition myself, I'm considering everything. Currently I'm leaning towards moving down to West Palm and living with my grandparents as I take a gap year in attempt to build residency in Florida. This could easily save me $20,000-40,000. Instead of leaving college with approximately $40,000 in loans after all my scholarships, I could graduate with more like $10,000-20,000. In a perfect world, when I moved down to Florida I could find some job doing the busy work at a real estate agency or lender to learn the business, or maybe just someone I could learn from. 

    As a young adult now entering the world with a soldi work ethic and drive, I'm willing to do ANYTHING to get in the door. I will work so hard for anyone who's willing to take a step out of their comfort zone and work with a curious, intelligent young adult. Currently I have an internship at a widget manufacturing company and a job at a warehouse in hopes of building up as much money as I can, but as a young adult about to be stuck in the awkward phase between high school and college, I have no real commitments so i'm willing to drop everything in order to learn and potentially start my journey down the real estate path. 

    Honestly, I felt like the 5-10 minutes it'd take me to type this out might have a little bit of a chance of paying off with some sort of connection or at least tip from one of the many experienced real estate investors, agents, brokers, and other people in these forums. If you've made it this far, which I doubt many people, if anyone, has, feel free to reach out. Trust me, anything you could do or say to me at this point in my career would be super beneficial and could set me down the proper path! If there's anything you wish you knew at my age, or just suggestions you have, please reach out!

     Welcome! I started down the path of FIRE 3 years ago and now I never really have to work again in my life.

    [email protected]614-541-8475Podcast Guest on Show My Job Laid Me Off, So I Replaced My Salary with Rentals
    Reafco512 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Blaine Alger
    Investor · Waco TX / Conroe, TX · Member since 2017 · 376 posts · 228 votes
    5y

    I love it JT! Nothing against the stock market, I have money invested as well, but I love to see when people come to the realization the power of RE. There is just something different about owning real hard assets that you control opposed to owning some piece of paper that some 12 year on reddit in the Wall Street Bets forum can dictate the value.

    Atleast you have already figured out to stay away from the BS Tik Tok wholesalers, that stuff makes me cringe. Other than that, I would advise you to continue to dive into all the great resources BP offers. Between the podcast, forums, blog post and books that they publish, there is enough knowledge to gain a college degree. 

    Best piece of advice I can give you is, don't be afraid to fail. In Real estate, I feel people will use their lack of education as an excuse not to get started. They are afraid to ask questions or don't want to get embarrassed when they face something they don't know, don't let that stop you from getting started. Ask a million questions, don't be afraid to get embarrassed and continue to educate yourself. If you do this, you will slowly build more confidence and knowledge and will be able to take down anything you see. 

    Feel free to reach out, if theres anything else I can help you with. I am always happy to talk some RE. 

    -BA

    1Reply
  • Jt Marting
    OP
    Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes
    5y

    @Remington Lyman Wow! Thats a really big accomplishment. Congrats! Do you have any suggestions or tips that you feel could help someone young like me be successful in that journey?

    1Reply
  • Jt Marting
    OP
    Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes
    5y

    @Blaine Alger Thanks so much for the response. Every time I see that someone has responded to my post it really just makes me happy inside realizing that a community of successful adults are taking the time out of their day to respond to a clueless high school student like me.

    One question I have that I really like to ask everyone, even though its really generic and vague, is what do you wish you did differently? And is there anything you wish you knew at my age?

    Thanks for reaching out and taking your time to help me out!

    2Reply
  • Remington LymanBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

    @Remington Lyman Wow! Thats a really big accomplishment. Congrats! Do you have any suggestions or tips that you feel could help someone young like me be successful in that journey?

     Get your real estate license and join a brokerage that specializes in investment properties.

    [email protected]614-541-8475Podcast Guest on Show My Job Laid Me Off, So I Replaced My Salary with Rentals
    Reafco512 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Jt Marting
    OP
    Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Remington Lyman:
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

    @Remington Lyman Wow! Thats a really big accomplishment. Congrats! Do you have any suggestions or tips that you feel could help someone young like me be successful in that journey?

     Get your real estate license and join a brokerage that specializes in investment properties.

    Is it that easy? How would you recommend getting a job like that?

    0Reply
  • Spence Kal
    Rental Property Investor · OH (ohio) · Member since 2018 · 166 posts · 113 votes
    5y

    @Jt Marting

    Holy crap you’re way ahead of most people, it’s awesome hearing a story like yours because 80% of the people I went to college with are useless and have no motivation. You’re definitely ahead of most and you’ll be successful no matter what you do with that attitude. I went to school VERY cheaply, no debt, Kent Trumbull then YSU. Wouldn’t recommend YSU but a degree is just a piece of paper so get that bachelors in business finance or RE, construction management, as cheaply as you can. I could get a 40-50k a year job in marketing easily, but it’s a backup. I’m going to be a realtor full time because sales is a great job to build wealth, and I love business. I wish I had gotten my license at 18, I might not have even gone to college because you don’t NEED it. It’s just a good backup. Getting your RE license is really easy, in Ohio you can go to Hondros online and finish in a month if you want. Find a broker or team that works with investors, and who invests themselves, and you’ll learn a lot. Start talking to people now, call investors on here and chat, I’ve learned so much just in an hour conversation with some great investors here. Also watch out for those social media people, a LOT of them are fake and aren’t really successful. I’d be happy to talk on the phone and share my experience flipping in college and getting my license if you like. Just keep posting here everyone is really willing to help.

    1Reply
  • Remington LymanBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:
    Originally posted by @Remington Lyman:
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

    @Remington Lyman Wow! Thats a really big accomplishment. Congrats! Do you have any suggestions or tips that you feel could help someone young like me be successful in that journey?

     Get your real estate license and join a brokerage that specializes in investment properties.

    Is it that easy? How would you recommend getting a job like that?

    Yes, it is pretty easy. After you get your license you can start working for yourself.

    [email protected]614-541-8475Podcast Guest on Show My Job Laid Me Off, So I Replaced My Salary with Rentals
    Reafco512 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    2Reply
  • Robert Matelski
    Rental Property Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 214 posts · 270 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

    @Robert Matelski It’s a small world! I have a handful of friends who go to John Carroll!

    Thanks for the tips. I’ll definitely reach out it seems like you had somewhat of a similar path to me. Do you have any recommendations on how I get a job at a brokerage, mortgage company, or with an investor? I have a really, really good resume for someone my age, but I feel like that doesn’t really cut it in the real world. I’m struggling to make meaningful connections with people outside my inner circle.

    Just start reaching out to people (cold calls/emails/DMs). Use BiggerPockets, LinkedIn, any personal contacts you may have (family friends, neighbors, etc.). You'd be amazed how far a positive attitude and go-getter vibe can get you. Focus on learning from them, and always think about (and share, when appropriate) how you can add value to them. Get tangible. Make some videos showcasing what you know and how it can be applied to brokers, investors, etc. Don't worry about having a "good resume" as much as having a pithy answer for how you can bring value to others in a way that's mutually beneficial. Don't make them connect the dots of how you can be of service to them... make it glaringly obvious.

    1Reply
  • Steven Foster Wilson
    Rental Property Investor · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

    Hi! I'm pretty new to the forums, so I thought I'd introduce myself and see what happens. My names JT Marting, and I've been interested in F.I.R.E. community for a few years now. After spending a year or so learning how the stock market works, thinking that was the most successful vehicle of building wealth, I stumbled across Ben Mallah on youtube. After a brief but not very educational introduction to real estate through his channel, I decided to look into it a bit more. After doing some research, I was awestruck at the fact approximately 90% of millionaires are created by real estate. This fact alone made me decide to flip the script and now focus more of my time and effort into real estate. After getting bombarded by social media influencer scams, promising how their wholesaling course will turn me into a millionaire, someone in the comments suggested that people who were actually interested in taking real estate seriously listen to the Bigger Pockets podcasts. Perfect enough for me, I already listened to about 1-2 hours of podcasts a day, so it fit right in line with my routine. Now after getting a basic grasp on real estate, i'm 100% on board of sacrificing 5-10 years of my life to set myself up financially. As a high school senior, i've been competing in personal finance competitions for two years now, so I already understood the importance of money management and have a mediocre grasp on the financial side of real estate like building credit, taking out loans, and helocs. Now as I take the next step down my life, i've pondered my options other than just the traditional college path. Currently, I live in Cleveland Ohio, but defiantly want to go back to Florida, where I grew up and the majority of my extended family resides, for the next step in my life. Since I have to pay for all my college tuition myself, I'm considering everything. Currently I'm leaning towards moving down to West Palm and living with my grandparents as I take a gap year in attempt to build residency in Florida. This could easily save me $20,000-40,000. Instead of leaving college with approximately $40,000 in loans after all my scholarships, I could graduate with more like $10,000-20,000. In a perfect world, when I moved down to Florida I could find some job doing the busy work at a real estate agency or lender to learn the business, or maybe just someone I could learn from. 

    As a young adult now entering the world with a soldi work ethic and drive, I'm willing to do ANYTHING to get in the door. I will work so hard for anyone who's willing to take a step out of their comfort zone and work with a curious, intelligent young adult. Currently I have an internship at a widget manufacturing company and a job at a warehouse in hopes of building up as much money as I can, but as a young adult about to be stuck in the awkward phase between high school and college, I have no real commitments so i'm willing to drop everything in order to learn and potentially start my journey down the real estate path. 

    Honestly, I felt like the 5-10 minutes it'd take me to type this out might have a little bit of a chance of paying off with some sort of connection or at least tip from one of the many experienced real estate investors, agents, brokers, and other people in these forums. If you've made it this far, which I doubt many people, if anyone, has, feel free to reach out. Trust me, anything you could do or say to me at this point in my career would be super beneficial and could set me down the proper path! If there's anything you wish you knew at my age, or just suggestions you have, please reach out!

    Welcome to the forums! I recently got my agents license, the key to my success was finding a good mentor to walk me through the process of finding deals, finding buyers and sellers, and all the technicals! Thats also the way I was able to buy my first property, through a mentor helping me!

    1Reply
  • Jt Marting
    OP
    Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes
    5y

    @Robert Matelski I like the idea of it being “tangible” and obvious to the investors of how I can help! Do you have any suggestions on skills investors find helpful? Some people have mentioned graphic design and social media management. Do you think those would actually be important to an investor?

    0Reply
  • Jt Marting
    OP
    Developer · Dallas, TX · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 21 votes
    5y

    @Steven Wilson Thanks for the tip!

    0Reply
  • Robert Matelski
    Rental Property Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 214 posts · 270 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jt Marting:

    @Robert Matelski I like the idea of it being “tangible” and obvious to the investors of how I can help! Do you have any suggestions on skills investors find helpful? Some people have mentioned graphic design and social media management. Do you think those would actually be important to an investor?

    Bruhhhh... no. Those are, for the most part, not skills that are likely of much use to most investors. Don't think in terms of "skills" (rattling off skills tends to just be a lazier version of saying "hey, here is my resume, you should hire me" anyhow). Figure out what actual problem(s) investors (or brokers or lenders or anyone) might have and then demonstrate ways that you can solve said problem(s)... connect the dots for them, and make them so glad you are bringing some solutions to the table and that you can execute on them. Don't be afraid to add value for free a bit too, at least at first, to make them think "wow this kid is really useful" and get them hooked and willing (maybe even eager) to pay. 

    This is stuff you can do now, while you're still in high school. I'm not saying you should or should not do this, but giving this as an example of the type of thing you might think through and try... say you observe that there's a particular property that has been on the rental market for a looong time even though it is a decent house on a decent street in a decent suburb of Cleveland (you can/should be scrolling around on Zillow and other sites to check out rental listings daily if you are taking this seriously). You've seen this one house just sit there on the market, for weeks and weeks, while other houses have been posted and rent in a few days. Dig into that listing... does it lack photos? Are the photos bad/outdated? Is the description bad? Reach out to the owner and tell him or her that you think that with a better description or photos their property could really attract solid renters fast... and offer to take the pics for them and write the description to update their ads (for free).

    The sooner you get into the mode of naturally finding problems (or untapped opportunities) and proposing/executing some solutions, the quicker you will find yourself on the track for success and huge gains. Next time you are on YouTube, listen to some Gary Vaynerchuk, Mark Cuban, Patrick Bet-David, etc. They're not going to be talking about real estate (generally) but this kind of content will be outrageously valuable to you to get yourself into the right mindset to become outlandishly successful.

    1Reply
  • James MaraditsPro Member
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2015 · 239 posts · 224 votes
    5y

    Jt!

    I wish I had the head you have on your shoulders when I was coming out of high school!  Just know that you're leaps and bounds ahead of 99% of the population just by being aware of these different ventures you're considering (but don't lose sight of it).  The absolute best thing you can start with it to begin building your credit and saving as much money as possible.  See if you can get a secured credit card or if a family member/friend with good credit can add you as an authorized user to one of their cards to begin developing your credit history.

    I wish you the best in whichever route you choose.  Admittedly, as I sit here freezing in Cleveland today, starting off in Florida sounds pretty nice, but I think you'll find success either here or there.  If you ever have any questions or want to talk Cleveland real estate/flipping/rentals/agent work/etc. feel free to reach out to me.

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  • Steve RozenbergPro Member
    Specialist · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    Take the time to figure out your own "WHY" in your head first. You have to learn to process of deselection and saying NO. By saying NO to all these opportunities that will not get you to your goal or intented final outcome you will actually speed up by slowing down.

    I see so many of these people in their fancy cars and big houses, talking about all the wins they have in life and how much money they make on their deals.

    But it's funny how no one ever talks about the losses or dark days, Almost as if they do not exist or they are just too smart to ever lose.

    It seems to me like what I see online and I see all these people want to show you the tactic of HOW to do something.

    Well that is great, but the problem is, WHO actually shows you how to think differently

    I know a lot of people that make millions of dollars and they are freaking miserable, I would never trade my life with some of these people

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