Why do you use BiggerPockets?
Real Estate Agent · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2017 · 523 posts · 362 votes
Hey guys I noticed I haven't been as active here on Bigger Pockets because of my real estate work. I've really started to change my mindset of how I spend my time and where it is best spent. A gentleman who is very accomplished in my local market was a guest speaker at a real estate event I went to and he said that people that are really making things happen don't have time for social netoworking sites and to brag about their accomplishements and what not on FB, BP etc. I guess this line stuck with me and I haven't really seen the benefit of getting on here anymore and am wondering why you guys/gals use Bigger Pockets? I'm not trying to make this site sound useless by any means but I'm just wondering yall's perspective and why you get on here every day? What is your opinion on that speakers statement about successful people and social media?
I've asked myself the same question. I've only asked 2 questions in my 5k posts (neither of which were answered:( and don't share successes much. We're not all just taking or gloating. If your speaker is too 'successful' to have time to give back or to contribute to something bigger than themself, perhaps we have a differing view of what success even is.
Everyone's motivation is different, but for me it's a platform to give back to and fight for the little guy. Not having an angle or anything to sell, not being a pro, etc I think allows me to speak meaningfully about what charges are fair, what advice is sound, maybe some ideas to try out instead. Somebody has to counter all the 'get as much debt as possible always' views on here LOL. But that's just me.
I enjoy writing and talking lightly about certain aspects of RE. Not too deep, like coaching or holding hands deep in the weeds. BP gives me the chance to write and discuss RE topics that interest me, so def not all altruistic.
BP is like a 90/10 Pareto principal. In any given forum, 90% of the yacking is done by 10% of the members. Maybe 85/15. Curious why others like me contribute as well, especially @Jerry W. , @Joe Splitrock , @JD Martin and @Jay Hinrichs
@Michael Guzik well to really think about the truth behind his statement I think we need to consider, have any successful people used social media to better their careers?
I mean the answer has got to be yes. Of course there are people who don't use social media and if they can make it big then that is great for them . But is this speaker bigger than Grant Cardone? (to name one titan of social media). Guys like Grant use social media to gain attention, and money follows attention.
So I would say if you are using social media to kill time and argue about culture and politics then yes, it is a huge waste.
If you are using it to learn, to teach, to make money, or to network then it is the greatest tool in the history of earth!
I use bp to read about topics I don't know about. The happy collateral is that while interacting every week here on BP I have met people who have bettered me or my career. It has been good for sure.
Just a tool and you gotta choose how you will use it.
@James Wise I agree with that brother not using social media to expand your business is a serious mistake in today's world!
@Mike Dymski Yes sir that's my favorite part I can learn and network without having to get all dressed up and drive across town!
@Alex Franks I'm sorry to hear that brother but I'm glad you are back in the game and making things happen. I really think a break from social media is very important for everyone!
@Michael Guzik I think it comes down to priorities and focus. If you are on this site or others all day wasting time a getting distracted then you should unplug from it and get back to reality. Social media should be used as a tool. It can be both a good education tool and a marketing tool - I use it for both. I also use it to be able to give back. If I can educate a few people and motivate them to take the next step required to create their financial freedom, then that is awesome (several people on this site have thanked me for doing that for them).
Social media, TV, video games, the internet, and much more are a distraction if you let them be one, so the guest speaker was right to an extent, but he also missed the point and is likely missing out on a lot of potential business and relationships. Had I not joined BP just over a year ago, then I would have not met someone that eventually became a friend. That friend then introduced me to podcasts, had me on his show, which led to being on other shows, including Bigger Pockets podcast. This then led to me hiring a coach and starting my own podcast, meeting tons of great people. Now, about 18 months after joining BP, I have a lot of friends that I have personally met and many others that I have spoken to over the phone.
@Joshua Howaniec I agree with you there brother I know all too many people that just use Facebook and Instagram to argue about politics and it gets very annoying!
@Todd Dexheimer I agree man it really is a tool! I honestly agree with everything you said brother that was very well put I appreciate your post!
I look at BiggerPockets as a resource for constant education. Every time I visit this site I either help someone with his or her needs, or I learn something new. It's a win-win!
It's also great for networking!
The podcast is 95% what I use BP for - I so wish I had more time to spend on the forum.
Well since I have had several links to write on this post by @JD Martin and @Steven Vaughn, here goes.
First I found this site through a link to an article by Brandon Turner about how to vet tenants. I had been investing for over 10 years, but my partner had done all of the renting and managing, I did acquisitions and financing, and legal work. My partner moved over a hundred miles away and I suddenly had to all of the landlord tenant stuff. My partner had no books and no methods to how he did things. My partner was very good but entirely self taught. After having a few pretty bad tenants I decided I needed to get educated on better ways to do some things and started looking for information. After getting on the site and reading, I went into the Learn section and read nearly every spare minute for about 2 months devouring nearly every article they had written and numerous posts. I learned about having a minimum of 3 times the salary as rent costs, I learned what questions to ask, I learned the tax differences between a Sub S Corp and an LLC, I learned about including a factor for vacancy and cap ex in evaluating a possible rental house purchase. It was great. For the first time ever I wrote down some goals to achieve.
Next I started reading posts and articles from truly great minds. @Bill Gulley, and @Brian Burke, @Jay Hinrichs, and I began challenging some posts from smart guys like @Ben Leybovich. My mind expanded and grew with new ways of thinking and even by arguing with Ben, I learned new things and new ways of considering things.
I also found like minds. I literally had not one person in my town I could talk about real estate to. Not even my wife who was actually against my investing in real estate, (and still is). There was something about sharing my dreams and outlooks with others that was satisfying. Imagine you were born without an arm, and always felt a bit weird about it, but later found thousands of people just like you who were willing to talk about it.
I slowly began contributing about things I did know about and like Jay H, ran across some pretty bad advice. There was a guy I called Al Gore's brother who advocated things like taking the door off a house to make folks move out. Giving the address of the house to bikers in a biker bar and telling them there was a party there and they were welcome to come. Horrible advice. So I began posting more and more. I think the most satisfaction I have felt however is truly helping someone out who was in a bind and needed encouragement as much as advice. I had folks send me messages about how much better they felt after conversing with me. Things I went through and learned was helping others. That is a pretty cool feeling. My father among many other things had been a preacher and a missionary, and I suspect that influences me on what I feel in rewarding and important.
As to the time and energy spent on BP, I made a conscious decision after being on BP for several months and writing out goals to accomplish, to quit playing online role playing games like Everquest and Warcraft. I spent quite a few hours at night and sometimes nearly the entire weekend playing those games and honing and advancing characters. it was an excellent trade. It took nearly 20 years for me and my partner to acquire a commercial property and nearly 20 rental units. In the last 5 years I have bought full ownership of the real estate companies I was previously a part owner in, I acquired several properties in my own name, and added nearly a dozen more properties. Keep in mind this has occurred despite a pretty severe downturn in our local economy.
While I do contribute to a few forums, I have gotten a lot out of BP as well. I have learned, made friends, offended a few, and tried to help others as best I could. I never came to brag, and found it very hard to talk about what I was doing, but am getting better about that.
So thanks for the thread and thanks to BP for providing this site.
Well since I have had several links to write on this post by @JD Martin and @Steven Vaughn, here goes.
First I found this site through a link to an article by Brandon Turner about how to vet tenants. I had been investing for over 10 years, but my partner had done all of the renting and managing, I did acquisitions and financing, and legal work. My partner moved over a hundred miles away and I suddenly had to all of the landlord tenant stuff. My partner had no books and no methods to how he did things. My partner was very good but entirely self taught. After having a few pretty bad tenants I decided I needed to get educated on better ways to do some things and started looking for information. After getting on the site and reading, I went into the Learn section and read nearly every spare minute for about 2 months devouring nearly every article they had written and numerous posts. I learned about having a minimum of 3 times the salary as rent costs, I learned what questions to ask, I learned the tax differences between a Sub S Corp and an LLC, I learned about including a factor for vacancy and cap ex in evaluating a possible rental house purchase. It was great. For the first time ever I wrote down some goals to achieve.
Next I started reading posts and articles from truly great minds. @Bill Gulley, and @Brian Burke, @Jay Hinrichs, and I began challenging some posts from smart guys like @Ben Leybovich. My mind expanded and grew with new ways of thinking and even by arguing with Ben, I learned new things and new ways of considering things.
I also found like minds. I literally had not one person in my town I could talk about real estate to. Not even my wife who was actually against my investing in real estate, (and still is). There was something about sharing my dreams and outlooks with others that was satisfying. Imagine you were born without an arm, and always felt a bit weird about it, but later found thousands of people just like you who were willing to talk about it.
I slowly began contributing about things I did know about and like Jay H, ran across some pretty bad advice. There was a guy I called Al Gore's brother who advocated things like taking the door off a house to make folks move out. Giving the address of the house to bikers in a biker bar and telling them there was a party there and they were welcome to come. Horrible advice. So I began posting more and more. I think the most satisfaction I have felt however is truly helping someone out who was in a bind and needed encouragement as much as advice. I had folks send me messages about how much better they felt after conversing with me. Things I went through and learned was helping others. That is a pretty cool feeling. My father among many other things had been a preacher and a missionary, and I suspect that influences me on what I feel in rewarding and important.
As to the time and energy spent on BP, I made a conscious decision after being on BP for several months and writing out goals to accomplish, to quit playing online role playing games like Everquest and Warcraft. I spent quite a few hours at night and sometimes nearly the entire weekend playing those games and honing and advancing characters. it was an excellent trade. It took nearly 20 years for me and my partner to acquire a commercial property and nearly 20 rental units. In the last 5 years I have bought full ownership of the real estate companies I was previously a part owner in, I acquired several properties in my own name, and added nearly a dozen more properties. Keep in mind this has occurred despite a pretty severe downturn in our local economy.
While I do contribute to a few forums, I have gotten a lot out of BP as well. I have learned, made friends, offended a few, and tried to help others as best I could. I never came to brag, and found it very hard to talk about what I was doing, but am getting better about that.
So thanks for the thread and thanks to BP for providing this site.
Jerry - thank you! Being next in line after Bill, Brian, and Jay - I'll take that!
@Michael Guzik thanks for this thread. So many great responses, @Brie Schmidt's responses were inspiring and Joshua Howaniec covered a lot of what I would say about the experience here. @Jerry W.'s response was also fantastic and should be required reading for all BPers.
I joined BP about a year and a half ago and back then I just did all I could to absorb as much about this beautiful industry that I could and welcome the new members to the site as I didn't have much to offer them knowledge-wise. Over time I've discovered (somewhat suprisingly) that I could answer a question or two here and there.
Since then, this site and its resources gave me the confidence to quit my job because "life is not meant to be lived in a cubicle". I met my lawyer here (shoutout @Jessica Zolotorofe), I met my insurance agent here, met countless friends here (@David Weintraub, @Erik Cabral, @Lauren C. @Eric Hyde @Troy Sheets love you guys!). I've had dinner with @Brandon Turner, @Darren Sager, @Gabe D., and J Scott himself. I've met some of my idols in the industry including @Dave Van Horn (buy his book!) and I've had the ability to interact with titans like Jay Hinrichs, @Matt Faircloth and @Liz Faircloth. I'm in the process of closing on my first note with a JV partner I met here (almost there @Gail Greenberg!) with part of the due diligence performed by a realtor I met here (thanks @Pat Heidingsfelder!) I spend 30 minutes a day reading books that I've learned of in some way shape or form from here (the podcast). I don't know any other industry that allows all of this through a website without paying through the nose. I'm thankful everyday for everything I've gotten from this site and would never characterize a minute spent here as a wasted one. Thanks @Joshua D.!
I'm on BP so I can stay at @Brie Schmidt's house when I'm in Chicago! lol jk there's more! (but super looking forward to staying, and your conference Brie :)
Like Brie said, having the people to be able to call when you need expertise is huge.
I wouldn't have partnered on a deal I still own in Oakland if I hadn't been on BP and networking.
I wouldn't have been inspired by guys like @Al Williamson to get more serious about furnished rentals.
I wouldn't have been able to grow my furnished rental business nearly as easily, without the relationships with other owners who rent me their apartments.
And I wouldn't be traveling the world without a 9-5 job right now.
So I can't be thankful enough to BP.
On top of that, I have a lot of awesome friends I've met through BP, and had a chance to meet all the pros from the website. Many many thanks :)
Biggerpockets is the red pill.
@Michael Guzik I came to BP because I was a lone wolf looking for a "tribe" and BP fit the bill. As many on this post have stated they were looking for people to share their ideas, learn from and also be comfortable with; that is what BP was to me when I first joined.
Since that point, I have met many people that I now call friends. I have done several different types of deals, shared many meals, drank many beers and even traveled to Vietnam with people I found through this forum. The financial benefits are quantifiable to a penny, but the support and friendship has been priceless.
As a *future* (saving money as we speak) investor, I can message somebody whose thread I found valuable or a podcast guest I listened to multiple times and count on getting a response/learning from them.
Thanks @Odie Ayaga for the shout out! You are too kind!
This is such an excellent question. After doing some online research, I found BiggerPockets about four years ago. When I found the site, I was so impressed. I wish I had found it sooner. I immediately reached out to Brandon Turner to see if we (my husband Matt and I) could become bloggers for the site. We have been contributing about four years now and have gotten involved with Facebook Live and my husband teaches webinars now too for BP.
I think the best relationships is where you can give and you can receive. I have given a lot to other members and have received a ton. I have learned from so many of the BP community, forged new relationships, created friendships, found private money partners and deals, formed a women investor mastermind group with women nationwide, met my partner who I just launched the Real Estate InvestHER podcast. Point being - I can safely say that our business (and portfolio) has grown as a result of being part of this fantastic community.
Since discovering bp one year ago I find it to be a priceless resource of brilliant minds far smarter than myself. The generosity of others who have taken the time to answer questions only inspires me to reach out, add value & give back whenever I can.
Between the forums and the podcasts I gain some really valuable insight from investors who have done every type of Real Estate Investment you can imagine.
These investors all discuss different difficulties they run into, and their advice has really helped me avoid a lot of simple mistakes I would have likely made in my own investments.
These forums have also taught me the importance of due diligence and conducting proper research when dealing with the various legal aspects of Real Estate.
I use bigger pockets to network.
-Johnetta