Before I bought my first investment property in 2018, I thought real estate investing was only for the extremely wealthy. I envisioned a real estate investor as someone like Donald Trump buying massive apartments and office buildings next to skyscrapers in New York City and other large metropolitan areas.
It wasn’t until I started listening to the Bigger Pockets podcast that I realized normal people like myself were not only real estate investors, they were crushing it! I learned you didn’t have to be wealthy, you didn’t have to come from a real estate family, and you didn’t even have to live where you invest!
Millions of people have preconceived notions about what it takes to invest in real estate, just like I did. Combine those notions with a scarcity mindset, a desire to stay within your comfort zone, and the lack of a defined ‘why’, and it’s no wonder why more people aren’t real estate investors.
But this doesn’t have to be you. You can invest in real estate.
A limiting belief is a conviction or state of mind that keeps us from achieving something. What are some limiting beliefs that keep people from investing in real estate?
Limiting Belief #1: I Don’t Have A Lot of Money, So I Can’t Invest in Real Estate
If you talk to enough real estate investors or listen to real estate podcasts, you’ll hear stories of people that have created large portfolios and have become millionaires after starting their journey with almost nothing. They didn’t make excuses – they decided on a goal and took action to achieve it.
Brandon Turner, an experienced investor and host of the Bigger Pockets real estate podcast, talks about three things that have to exist for a deal to work:
- Capital (money)
- Knowledge
- Hustle
You don’t personally need to have all three – or even two – to get going on your first deal. You only need one. Maybe you don’t have the money or the knowledge, but you have the hustle and time to get out into neighborhoods and find deals. There are always real estate investors looking for great deals (myself included). If you can drive around a neighborhood and look for vacant properties with overgrown lawns, then you can get started in real estate investing.
If you have some knowledge and some hustle but you just need some capital to get going, there are lots of people out there that want to invest in real estate but don’t have the time or desire to get started in real estate. If you present them a great deal and show them you can successfully turn the deal into a successful BRRRR/Flip, they will likely lend you the money you need to get the deal off the ground.
Limiting Belief #2: My Market is Too Expensive, So I Can’t Invest in Real Estate
For those of you that have this mindset, open a new tab on your browser right now, go to amazon, and purchase “Long-Distance Real Estate Investing” by David Greene. This book opened my eyes to the concept of living where you want to live (or where the military tells you to live!) and investing where the numbers make sense.
I live in San Diego and home prices here are ridiculous, so I invest in the Midwest and the South/Southeast where the home prices are a fraction of what they cost in Southern California. You can also get a much better return on your money because the homes cash flow so well! For example, one of my Milwaukee properties rents for $1250/month and my mortgage payment is $544! Its very difficult to find that much difference between rent and your mortgage payment in Southern California and other expensive markets.
Limiting Belief #3: I Don’t Know How to Invest in Real Estate!
This is the worst excuse of them all because there is so much free information available to anyone with an internet connection. We all consume information differently, and thankfully there is a wealth of information across all formats.
-Books! This is my favorite way to consume information. I wrote an article highlighting my favorite real estate books, which you can read here. I recently finished David Greene’s BRRRR book (Buy Rehab Rent Refinance Repeat) so it is not in that article, but it’s probably my favorite real estate book!
-Podcasts! This is my second favorite way to consume information. Bigger Pockets has a few fantastic podcasts all about real estate and personal finance. The original BP podcast is real estate focused as you would imagine, the new BP Rookie podcast is designed for beginners, and the BP Money podcast is more personal finance oriented. Check out the article I wrote about my favorite podcasts here.
-YouTube! Historically, I’m not a big consumer of real estate/personal finance info via YouTube, but I have been watching a lot more videos recently. YouTube has fantastic content with experts who will walk you step by step through the ins and outs of all things real estate. Want to see how to analyze a deal? There are a thousand videos showing you how to do it. How does real estate financing work? There are experienced lenders with videos walking you through the whole process.
In addition to books, podcasts, and YouTube, there are countless blog articles and forums not only with the information you’re seeking, but with people who are eager to help others get started in real estate (like myself).
So what’s keeping you from taking that first step and investing in real estate? Is it fear? Is it lack of knowledge? If you know you want to do it, but you just need someone to kick you in the ass and get you motivated, I highly recommend joining a mastermind group. If you are active duty, a reservist, or a veteran, check out the War Room real estate mastermind here. It’s a fantastic group of people all involved in real estate in some capacity. We hold each other accountable for our goals, bounce ideas off of each other, and do 2-3 webinars per month with speakers, Q&A sessions, and more. Reach out to me at doug@honorandequity to learn more!
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