From my experience, most new investors do best by keeping some reserves on hand while also chipping away at debt so they’re not overleveraged going into their first property.Your target of ~$30K in reserves sounds realistic, especially paired with a VA loan, since you won’t need as much upfront for the down payment.I’ve worked with a few new investors in a similar spot, and what helped them most was creating a clear framework for financing and deal analysis so they went into their first purchase with confidence.

There's also a BiggerPockets podcast targeted towards beginners, which I would highly recommend as well.

Hi Steven,Congratulations on your new goals and decision to purchase in the mid-west. 

Quote from @Geoff Pope: Hello Everyone, I am new to BP so bear with me if any of my questions appear obvious.

Right now wholesalers are mainly doing:SMS TextingCold CallingDirect Mail / PostcardsThe “next level” is PPL (Pay-Per-Lead) through lead generation companies, so you’re only paying for conversations that raise their hand.Most people start by pulling lists of sellers in distress (pre-foreclosure, tax liens, probate, divorce, etc.) and then stacking those lists so you’re not just hitting one pain point but several.On top of that, a few other things are working well right now:PPC / Google Ads – motivated sellers often search “sell my house fast” before answering cold outreach.Facebook/Instagram Ads with strong local targeting.Driving for Dollars apps (batchdriven, dealmachine) paired with skip-tracing to hit niche properties others might miss.Follow-up systems – 70% of deals come from nurturing leads over time, not just first contact.What seems less effective today:Bandit signs (cities are cracking down, saturation is high).Generic postcard campaigns without a targeted or consistent follow-up strategy.Mass cold email (deliverability has dropped a lot).The real key is consistency + multi-channel.

No distractions.Step 4: Drive targeted traffic – Use a single channel to start.

There's a lot of good opportunities here to achieve good returns if you know what areas to target. 

I am a new real estate investor based out of Utah.

Hi Rod – congrats on taking action as a new investor!

.: I have successfully completed new builds of two triplexes in rural Ohio.