Schooling and Learning

Member since 2025 · 8 posts · 15 votes

Hey everyone, I am fascinated with real estate investing. I want to get started, I am always looking at houses and finding deals and things in my price range, but I always feel like I have less knowledge than I would like. This is what really feels like its holding me back. I am a very hands on learner as well. I was considering real estate investing classes I found online, I was looking online and there seem to be a few that look reliable. What are some thoughts are actual classes and lessons like this worth it??Has anyone done it??

2 votes total

Worth it!!

Waste of time!!

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Aaron Collins

Real Estate Agent · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2024 · 4 posts · 4 votes

Starting your investment journey can be the biggest hurrdle. Personally I always recommend doing live in flips or house hacking if possible for your first one investment. It reduces the risk while still allowing you to learn. Honestly you will never feel like you know enough to start. There is a level of hands on learning that needs to happen. As far and finding a deal it seems like you got that covered, just back it up with the calculators on BP and maybe find someone to check your work. Be conservative when underwriting. Good luck and Godspeed!

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Aaron Collins
Real Estate Agent · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2024 · 4 posts · 4 votes
1w
Starting your investment journey can be the biggest hurrdle. Personally I always recommend doing live in flips or house hacking if possible for your first one investment. It reduces the risk while still allowing you to learn. Honestly you will never feel like you know enough to start. There is a level of hands on learning that needs to happen. As far and finding a deal it seems like you got that covered, just back it up with the calculators on BP and maybe find someone to check your work. Be conservative when underwriting. Good luck and Godspeed!
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- AJ LongoPro Member
  OP
  Member since 2025 · 8 posts · 15 votes
  12h
  Thank you Aaron, the insight is appreciated and a boost of confidence! My mind and research keeps bringing me back to the hacking side of things so I'm really gearing up to go that route!
  0 Reply
Terrance Brewer
Real Estate Agent · Long Branch, NJ · Member since 2024 · 7 posts · 5 votes
2d
Hey AJ, its TJ. I agree with Aaron that you'll probably never feel like you know enough to start investing from classes and books alone. As scary as it can be, the best way to learn how to do anything is by doing the thing itself. Think of a tradesman - they don't start their careers with the ability to do every job perfectly. A lot of them learn through repetition and repetition alone.
That being said, it doesn't make things any less scary. A few things you can do to mitigate a bit of the risk you might be feeling are read some books on RE investing (BRRRR Method, Multifamily Millionaire, etc) and surround yourself with a solid team of people that have experience in real estate (agents, lenders, attorneys etc). While I think it is important to be educated and not jump into something like RE investing with nothing but blind faith, analysis paralysis can be far more damaging than making a mistake and learning from it.
If you want to bounce ideas off of me, feel free to message me anytime. I'm an agent in Monmouth County, NJ that works with investors and I'd be more than happy to help where I can!
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Shawn McenteerBusiness Member
Realtor · Boonton Township, NJ · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2d
Unless the class is very specific to your market I would suggest networking locally over online classes. If you listen to the majority of people on biggerpockets they would lead you to believe a place like New Jersey is a horrible place to invest with bad laws, high cost of entry and no cash flow. I will let you know; I have been investing in NJ for over a decade, cash flowing, zero evictions, never missed a single month of rent, huge appreciations, and have purchased majority of my properties with low money down loans. Most investing classes will give over view that does not compare to what works in different local markets.
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- AJ LongoPro Member
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  Member since 2025 · 8 posts · 15 votes
  12h
  Thank you Shawn, yes that is the worst part about getting started. Everywhere I look NJ is "A terrible investment" but in my current position it would be the best place for me to get started. So when I find something and run numbers and it seems like a good deal I question the heck out of it because according to the "internet" it shouldn't exist lmaoo. Thank you for the input and first hand knowledge I really appreciate it!
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Danielle DalyPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2021 · 54 posts · 75 votes
1d
Hey AJ - I can definitely relate to feeling like you need to know more before getting started! I think education is incredibly valuable, but I’d be cautious about spending a ton of money on courses since there’s so much great information available for free or relatively cheap.
For me, house hacking was how I got started, and I learned a ton simply by going through the process. I’d focus on learning the fundamentals: how to analyze a deal, financing, cash flow, expenses, etc., and then start looking at real deals in your market and running the numbers.
BiggerPockets has a ton of free resources from books, podcasts, and forums that can help with that. I started with a few books, the BiggerPockets podcast, and attending meetups and felt like that was sufficient enough to get started and continue learning by doing. Since you’re a hands-on learner, I’d definitley recommend connecting with local investors or finding a mentor who’s actually doing what you want to do. At some point, you’ll learn more from taking action than you will from taking another class. Good luck, and hope this is helpful!!
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- AJ LongoPro Member
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  Member since 2025 · 8 posts · 15 votes
  12h
  Wow, thank you Danielle! Yea my goal is to start with house hacking it seems like its the best way for me to learn hands on. I am trying to really hit the books and resources on the fundamentals right now. Iv picked three markets to focus on now I'm moving toward looking into neighborhood specific houses. Thanks for the advice it's really appreciated!
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Arman AhmedPro Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 913 votes
1d
Quote from @AJ Longo:
Hey everyone, I am fascinated with real estate investing. I want to get started, I am always looking at houses and finding deals and things in my price range, but I always feel like I have less knowledge than I would like. This is what really feels like its holding me back. I am a very hands on learner as well. I was considering real estate investing classes I found online, I was looking online and there seem to be a few that look reliable. What are some thoughts are actual classes and lessons like this worth it??Has anyone done it??
I’d spend less on courses and more time analyzing real deals and talking to investors who are actually buying. The best way to learn anything is by doing the thing itself. You learn through repetition, and repetition is what builds confidence. Don’t feel like you have to invest in NJ either. If you’re open to out-of-state, the Midwest is worth putting on your radar.
[email protected]614-418-6081
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- AJ LongoPro Member
  OP
  Member since 2025 · 8 posts · 15 votes
  12h
  Thank you for the advice Arman, I only considered the out of state investing for a short time. We just started a family here not to long ago so I thought it might be hard for me to travel right now, and having trust and confidence in someone else to handle my investing when I am a newbie myself seems even more paralyzing hahah. Any insight to out of state investing? Do you think you have to still make the trips and be present, or leave it in some local hands you trust in that area?
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