All Forum Posts by: Matt Lefebvre

Hey everyone,

I'm Matt Lefebvre, 17, and will start investing in about a year's time.  Can't quite start yet since I'm not legally an adult and can't get a credit card, mortgage, or vote.  But I plan to start as soon after that as possible!  In the meantime, I figure its best to start getting more out of BiggerPockets then I have been.  I've been lurking on the forums mostly, reading occasional blog posts, listening to a few podcasts, but I shall be doing that no longer.  I plan to start stepping up my game and actually participating more.  

I know I don't have terribly much to contribute at this point, but I've set goals for myself to make at least one post on BP every day, connect with one new person a day (would appreciate some help here :P), listen to two podcasts a week, and begin attending monthly REIA meetings. Lofty goals? No... not really... but its a start!

Just figured I'd post this here so that people can actually hold me accountable to what I've said!  Thanks everyone!

Hi Sam!

Welcome to BiggerPockets!  I'm in the Amherst (New Hampshire) area and looking to start investing soon; glad to find another granite stater here!  Just wondering, but are you looking to be a buy & hold or fix & flip investor?  In either case, wish you the best of luck!

Regards,

Matt Lefebvre

@Jim Sestito I think just about everywhere is more landlord-friendly than Massachusetts ;)

And in regards to reading BiggerPockets at 17... well... its a tad bit more interesting than Facebook posts about what people had for lunch haha :)

Hey James.  Welcome to BiggerPockets!  I'm a bit far north of you... (up in the Nashua area of New Hampshire) but nonetheless, nice to meet you!  

Hello there!  Welcome to BiggerPockets :).  Don't have any advice as I'm a bit young and haven't done a deal yet... but good luck with the one you're working on!

@Damon Armstrong  @Account Closed 

Well just another 17-year old going into his senior year and wondering about his future academics/career dropping in here.  I didn't know how many of us frequented this site!  How amusing.  Anyway;

I'm pretty much in the same boat here.  The day I turn 18 (yes I'm counting down to) I plan on taking the real estate salesperson exam and then working at a local brokerage for a bit to build up some cash.  I'm trying to line up an internship right now with my (potential) future employer and hoping that'll teach me a bit about the business.  

On the point of academics... I've also searched far and wide for a "real estate degree".  I don't know much about Louisiana, but there are a couple of colleges up in the Northeast that offer real estate degrees.  University of Connecticut offers one.  University of Pennsylvania's famous Wharton School offers a real estate concentration for the Bachelor's of Science major they hand out.  There are probably several others up here in the northeast, but I'm not aware of them.  

On the same train of thought as academics, have you considered taking a gap year before going to college?  It'd give you a bit more time to work as a broker and then possibly move into investing before you start college.  I've spoken with seven different admissions officers about gap years and I have not yet heard one say it'd be a negative factor of admission (unless of course you waste your time playing video games or what not) and oftentimes, its a positive factor if you do something extremely productive.  Just something to think about... don't know what your parents would say to it, but worth a shot?

That's all I have in my spiel for now, but I'd be interested to here how things go!

@Rachel H. Very true... there are a great deal of answers here and I will eventually have to pick just one! Thanks for your thoughts!

@Mike S. Thanks for the advice! I definitely plan on preparing for college applications. But I just want to figure out whether or not I should apply so I can either focus my efforts on learning more about the industry, or trying to write college admission essays.

@Daren H. Thank you for the motivation Daren, your words were touching :). I agree with the advice of going to college and taking something to complement my real estate passion, its just a difficult decision to make if I want to go without that knowledge and save tens of thousands of dollars or not...

@Brian P. That's a good point. I should note though that my homeschooling is only including my junior and senior year of high school. I've been attending various schools before then. My social skills are quite good. I think my time in Boy Scouts also helped me out there and developed me into a leader as well. But thank you for making the point that most aspects of real estate is a people business.

@Jay Hinrichs Congratulations on getting your licenses as soon as you could! I hope to do the same here :). But you do bring up a very good point. My salesmanship skills may need some work, and that's probably where any sort of education would be most helpful. Thank you for suggesting that.

@David A. Definitely going down the entrepreneurial route. Although I'll probably end up working at a real estate brokerage for a bit, that is a very independent business anyway. Speaking of... I notice you work at Keller Williams. I'm in the process of getting an internship there and might end up working there. I've heard that its a fantastic company to work for, do you agree?

@John Horner Do you think any of those courses helped you out in real estate investing?

@Sandra Roddy My question is meant to be subjective. So I can get as many opinions as possible :). But thank you for advising me on taking college courses. I'm sure they'll teach me something. Its just that darn price tag...

@David Krulac Woohoo! Someone's already suggesting colleges! I was unaware Temple University had a program in real estate. Thanks for letting me know!

@Brad T. Thanks for your thoughts on getting a degree! Very insightful! To answer your question, I plan on getting into the "buy and hold" portion of real estate. Probably starting out with an owner-occupied triplex or fourplex and then moving on from there with other rentals. To build up money for the downpayment (which wouldn't be too much thanks to FHA 3.5%!) I'd work as a real estate agent for a while.

@Bill Gulley Thank you for that wonderful life story. That really helps me take your advice with a new meaning after sharing how your life was positively affected by a degree. And being able to walk into a company and get a job, if need be, is very useful too!

@Franklin Romine Very insightful answer. What degree did you go for in college?

@George P. That was the most concise answer I've gotten so far! But would you care to elaborate just a tad?

Looks like I can't respond to two people with the same first name in one post... So many wonderful responses! Thanks again everyone :)

There are so many responses I'm going to have to reply in separate chunks.

Thank you all for the overwhelming support you've given me. I really appreciate any and all answers and opinions posted here. The more the merrier :)

@Guy Heath Thanks for the opinion Guy! If you don't mind me asking, did you get a Finance degree in college?

@Wendell De Guzman Good advice! I have read (Robert Kiyosaki I think...) that college teaches you to be an employee. Good to know that someone with a degree agrees with that.

@Mike S. Going to college for the experience and for the "learning how to think" does seem like a very valid point. I've only been homeschooled for this year of my life because I felt my school wasn't doing me justice. I've certainly had plenty of time to experience a variety of new ideas and new places (went to China last month actually!). But that is some really great advice... and certainly one of the bigger reasons I'd go to college.

@Mark Forest Taking courses at a local community college on HVAC, plumbing, etc. is certainly never something I even considered. Thank you for that wonderful suggestion. Question though... I've heard the mantra that people who go to college earn more than those who do not... but is that really true in all fields? Especially one that doesn't require a bachelor's degree as an entry barrier?

@Thomas I. That cost-benefit analysis is certainly the tough part right now though... Thanks for the suggestion on a finance degree if I choose to go. It seems to be popular so far...

@John Horner College sure seems like the experience of a lifetime. Thanks for the advice on the courses to take. Did you take those when you went?