In the winter of 2016, I was deployed to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Okinawa, Japan. It was there where I sat on a Navy ship for months with limited internet access and literally thousands of hours of pirated movies and TV shows on a hard drive. Sure, some of you older veterans out there scoff at the thought of even having access to the internet while under-way, but for a millennial like myself? Being on ship was absolute hell.
Luckily, I had just discovered my new interest in real estate investing and had joined the BiggerPockets community. I still remember purchasing my first few books off their website right before leaving my room to board the ship! Anyways, the free e-books they provide on the website, as well as their other books available for purchase gave me hours of material to read and digest. By the time I was done with the books, I was only half a month into a two and half month float. I was anxious to get off, get back to Hawaii, and start my real estate investing journey!
1) BiggerPockets
As I already mentioned before, BiggerPockets (BP) basically started it all. Their free materials opened my eyes to what seemed like a whole new world to me. Reading on how to start with little to no money down made me realize that investing in real estate isn’t just for the rich. It’s attainable by anyone who is willing to learn and implement the strategies taught in the book.
In addition to their books, they also have an amazing podcast where they interview other investors and they share their own story and their own strategies. But it doesn’t stop there!
The greatest thing about BP is the community. There are investors all over the United States that actively post and help each other out. It was also there where I first found out of a local Hawaiian real estate meet up, which leads me to my second resource.
2) Local Real Estate Investing Groups
You can only go so far based on the knowledge you acquire from books. Networking is a huge aspect of real estate investing, and participating in local groups is the best way to do that. Through networking, I was able to meet a great investor-friendly realtor, a real estate attorney, private money lenders, and other house flippers.
There are a few ways to find groups for all kinds of interests. Specifically for real estate, you could use (you guessed it) BiggerPocket’s Events and Happenings page to find local meetups in your area! Another resource you could use is Facebook. Just search for a topic like, “real estate Hawaii” and click “Groups”.
It was through these groups that I learned more about the local market and which strategies work best in Hawaii; something that you won’t find in a book. I also made great new like-minded friends where we could yap about real estate all day and eventually, I would find myself a great mentor.
3) An Experienced Mentor
Everyone has a mentor. Even those who seem to have it all had mentors of their own. Steve Jobs had Mike Markkula, Bill Gates had Warren Buffet, and Richard Branson had Sir Freddie Laker.
In my own journey into real estate investing, I knew I had to find someone experienced that was willing to show me the ropes and want to see me succeed. That’s when I found Michael Mazzella and his mentorship program. Sure I had to pay in order to get into mentorship program, but it was well worth it. He sat with me and three others in a classroom for four 10+ hour days and taught us everything he knew about flipping houses in Hawaii. In addition to all of that, I can now ask him any question I may have and even partner up with him on deals in the future! I’ve met a lot of other people who went through his mentorship program and they’re all killing it as well.
Conclusion
To get started in real estate, all you really need is the knowledge on where to begin. But if you also put yourself out there and network with like-minded individuals, and even find yourself a mentor to help guide you on your journey, you could accelerate yourself to success and become unstoppable.
What resources have you found to be useful for your own real estate investing journey? Comment below and share the wealth!