10 Things a New Investor Should Do (Proactive Steps)
By: Loreal Loftus
- Educate Yourself Now
Learn the basics: wholesaling, buy-and-hold, subject-to, seller financing. The more strategies you know, the more deals you can turn into “yes.”
- Pick Your Lane
Don’t chase everything. Decide whether you want to wholesale, flip, or hold rentals and focus there.
- Study Your Local Market
Track days on market, price reductions, and foreclosure filings in 2–3 ZIP codes. This gives you a feel for shifts before others notice.
- Build a Buyers & Lenders List
Start meeting cash buyers and private lenders today. When you get a deal, you’ll already know who can close.
- Practice Deal Analysis
Run comps, calculate ARV, and estimate repairs on 100 properties before you buy. Speed and accuracy with numbers is your safety net.
- Network Consistently
Go to your local REIA (like MnREIA), meet agents, wholesalers, and other investors. Most deals are shared within relationships, not public listings.
- Get Marketing Going Early
Even a small direct-mail, cold-calling, or driving-for-dollars system builds momentum. Sellers need to see your name before they need to sell.
- Stack Cash & Credit
Save reserves now. Line up HELOCs, business credit, or private lenders before you need them. In a tighter lending world, cash = power.
- Protect Against Risk
Always check title, liens, and disclosures. Don’t cut corners with “creative” financing that could get you in legal trouble.
- Be Patient but Ready
The biggest profits often come when others freeze. Don’t rush into bad deals now—prepare so that when foreclosures and motivated sellers rise, you can act fast.
? Bottom Line
The next 24 months will bring more opportunity for those prepared and more pain for those who aren’t. If you build your knowledge, your network, and your systems now, you’ll be ready to buy discounted deals when the wave of motivated sellers hits.