Starting Out Non-Accredited Investor

[David Polcari]

Hey all - I've been on Bigger Pockets for several months now and have been reading everything I can get my hands on, to a fault. Definitely dealing with some analysis by paralysis but have narrowed down what I want to focus on to small MFH and note investing. I'm currently working with a real estate agent to locate a duplex I can purchase and house hack to get started on that front. I need some help on the notes side though. First question is do you have to have any special certifications or licenses to buy notes? And second would be around generating leads. Is there a place where people list notes for sale like some sort of exchange, or do most people use marketing strategies similar to direct mail/websites to generate leads? Thanks for any and all feedback!

[Tom Cooper]

David,

IMHO, you should focus on one type of investing or the other, at least to start.  They are worlds apart.  As many here have pointed out, investing in notes is not really real estate investing (it is finance) but it is connected to real estate.  I have just started learning about Note investing over the last couple weeks (have probably put in 50-60 hours so far) and have many miles to go just getting the basics down.   Not to dissuade you on the Note side, but there is much to learn and there are many posts, blogs, and resources here on BP as a starting point.  Good luck on your journey.