All Forum Posts by: Christina R.

@Lakeisha Alston Welcome to BP. As many have mentioned, lots of DMV members here (all probably finally dug out from the snow this past week!). Great FREE resources and advice. You will learn alot just by setting up keywords and reading!

Good morning BP Nation!

After much research and budgeting, the time had come to start my first YL campaign, appropriately (for me) in the first month of this new year.

I know there are numerous threads on "the first deal" but would like to hear any Nervous Nellie (or Nelson) stories about getting that first assignment contract signed. Were you shaking like a leaf? How did you feel when the $ was in your hands at closing??

These type of ancedotes pump me up and keep me motivated. Thanks!

@Jordan T. Hi Jordan, looking forward to all RE insight you can share here on the forums. Where are your rentals? I'm sure you can see there is a lot of Baltimore area activity on here. There's a Read Deal Meetup group that meets in Arbutus and Mareia in Owings Mills. Welcome to the site!

@Aaron A.

- Welcome to BP. Set up some keywords for DC/MD/VA (and/or cities) within and you'll be notified of posts from people that work this area. North Bethesda and Rockville are very easy areas to rent; they are also extremely expensive to buy. If you can find the deals, you'll have no problem renting (or selling!) them out.

Lots of good Meetups in this metro area as well if you're able to come down and network face to face.

Good luck -- I hope you get it!

@David Holland as @Matthew Paul said, it's all about where this house is. What zip is the property in and how are you funding this?

@Nicole A.

Oh Nicole, my fingers are really REALLY crossed for you. Reading stuff like this scares the BeGEEsus out of me . .. on the other hand I read "7 Years to 7 Figure Wealth" this weekend by @Brandon Turner and am ready to buy a 4-plex (or 2 stinkin' cheap duplexes) that cash flow $200 a door TODAY, so by the time my first is in college we are good to go with tuition. In between master the art of wholesaling.

I'm prayin' hard for you woman! You are making that closing completely contingent on getting those renters out of that other duplex right??

@Darren Sager pretty much summed it up. Lots of MD investors on this board, with Baltimore of particular interest.

@Matt J. - Welcome to BP! Sounds like you are very motivated to begin both REI and teaching. I'm going to give you some advice that is probably going to sound like sour grapes but I do hope you consider it.

I would wait until you are through your first year of teaching to do anything. Consider it another year to increase your savings. I say this because I'm a teacher - have taught in public and private schools, general and special education, since 1996. Student teaching, while necessary and prepatory in nature, is nothing like being the ACTUAL lead teacher. I don't know what the school systems are like in Minnesota but I know how administration, parents and school systems can be. You are going to be extremely busy navigating your students, your fellow teachers and admin, meetings upon meetings, requirements you still may need for certification even after getting out of college, your observations towards tenure, and the parents of your students that first year. Don't even have to know what grade or subject, I know that this will be the case. You are going to have a lot on your plate and I really believe you should focus on that and (it sounds like) your new marriage.

If you take ANYTHING on, be sure you have a partner to JV it with that can handle the day to day or it's something extremely passive. I know how hard it is to sit by when you really want to jump in. But the first year of teaching is the hardest (imo).

@Account Closed it's refreshing to see a young person with long-term vision and ambition. And I wish I had the RE drive when I was 18, but this is one arena where age is not a barrier to entry, thank goodness.

Welcome to BP - set up some keywords (I believe you can do a search for a keyword tutorial) so that you can get emails sent directly to you that discuss topics about real estate you are interested in. Also, there are many REIA groups around here as well as an excellent FREE Meetup that meets in Columbia the 2nd Weds of the month (just had the January meeting this week). Baltimore Washington Meetup (google it). Posters here know how to embed the link for it but I'm not tech savvy like that ;-)

I think there are people willing to mentor but this is my take on it - you obviously want to learn from people who are successful. People who are successful . . . are busy. Even those who have streamlined their RE business to the point where they work on it, not in it, are still busy -- just with the activities that they are now free to pursue with their time. Be respectful of their time, which means maybe offering to buy coffee or lunch in order to ask questions of them- start building a relationship. Start going to Meetups and REIAs and network. Determine what you want to do (wholesale, rehab, buy and hold, birddog, etc). Write down a plan with some short term goal (3 -6 month goal mark). Go to the Meetups and introduce yourself and listen. See who has experience with what you want to do. even though you are not 18 yet, consistently attend and when you are able to legally contract property, you wll be set.

Much success!