30-Minute Conversations to Real Estate Success

In this article

You’ve probably heard that one of the fastest ways to get what you want is to surround yourself with people who already have it.

I’m a firm believer in this, and frankly its something I’m still working to do more of.   Whether you’re a novice or an experienced investor, the advice is solid. It’s simply hard to be unsuccessful when you are spending significant time with successful people.

Everyone has their own personal definition of what success looks like, but for the purposes of this post, I’m referring to success in the specific area of real estate investing.  To begin spending more time with successful people, I’d like to encourage you to find three real estate investors who have already reached the success you’re striving for and simply ask them if they would be willing to spend 30 minutes with you to answer a few of your burning questions and discuss their success in real estate investing.

You may have to conduct the conversation over phone, however you may be able to secure an in-person meeting over coffee or lunch (compliments of you, of course but it will be worth every penny spent).  Don’t be timid about reaching out to the investors — if you ask not, you have not.  I’ve found that people are often (but certainly not always) willing and happy to share their stories and lessons learned. Be humble yet direct about your desire to speak with them.

“Quality questions create a quality life.  Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”
Anthony “Tony” Robbins, entrepreneur, motivator and advisor to leaders across the globe

You want to respect the investors time and also maximize the opportunity, so be sure to know the questions you want to ask ahead of time.  Here are a number of questions you may want to consider, and I’m certain that you’ll come up with some better ones:

1. What were the biggest challenges you faced when you first started investing in real estate?
2. How did you work through these challenges?
3. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made or seen others make in real estate investing?
4. Can you tell me about the most challenging real estate transaction that you ever completed?
5. What are your fundamental principles for real estate investing success?
6. How important is ongoing education in topics of business, investing, and real estate strategies to you?
7. What is the single most powerful piece of advice you have ever received when it comes to real estate investing?
8. Do you have any mentors? In what areas of your personal and/or financial growth have your mentors been helpful to you?

What’s great about this exercise is that not only do you learn from those 30 minute conversations, but you also have the opportunity to expand your network. What other questions do you think would be good to ask?  Remember – when you ask better questions, you get better answers!

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Note from the Editor: I thought we’d remind any readers that we regularly conduct interviews with real estate investors that you can find at: Meet the Investor. It’ll give you a feel for the info you might get from interviewing people as Shae suggests.

Photo: lrargerich

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.