Investing at 18

I grew up in, and still currently live in Fort Worth, Texas. I graduated from Western Hills High School June 2nd, 2012. Its not the worst school in FWISD, but its definitely not the best. I have always wanted more from life than what I see around here. The education system truly is broken. The majority of what I have learned has been on my own, or from my dad. I believe that most public schools are not covering a fraction of what students should be learning in preparation for the real world. Teachers are NOT to blame, its just the whole system of things, and it starts at an early age, it starts at home. The teaching methods are old and ineffective, and all school teaches today is to deal with being unhappy and to get used to doing things you don't like to do. It teaches you not to focus on your own natural talents and interests and become successful, but to conform. Then next thing you know, you have a recurring cycle of consistent failure, contributing to a new generation of individuals who will not reach their full potential. I would really love to go on explaining the inn's and out's of our education system, but since this is my bio, I'll have to save that for my blog. The reason I mentioned this was because understanding things like this has opened my eyes, and motivated me to become a real estate investor.

When I was 15 my dad bought me 2 of Dean's books, "PROFIT FROM REAL ESTATE RIGHT NOW!" and "BE A REAL ESTATE MILLIONAIRE". He couldn't sleep, and he was up late one night watching TV when he saw one of Dean's adds. He said "It just seemed like there was something genuine about him. This is something I can see you doing, I just think you would be really good at it." To be honest I've only read the first one, even though I probably should read them both! Once I started reading "PROFIT FROM REAL ESATE RIGHT NOW!" I wanted to believe I had found a genuine program that actually was what it claimed to be, but I was very skeptical. I looked online about Dean Graziosi and his programs, and found some pretty negative results, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. The more I read his book and looked on the site, the more I felt I could relate to his own story, especially being broke. The more I read, the more I felt like I was learning. I started to become more familiar with terms, and everything started making sense. I became less and less skeptical with every new thing that I learned.

Why real estate? If you're a college student, if you are paying for your kid(s) to go to college, or if you are still paying off student loans yourself, then you understand how easy it is to get into debt. Luckily I have learned from others mistakes and avoided debt and misleading credit cards. I see people that I work with, with their masters degree, who still haven't found the job that they went to school for, sometimes still living with their parents and still struggling financially. 4 years of just "going to school" can easily turn into $40,000 in debt. Real estate offers a safer, more sensible route. I still plan on going to school, but right now, there is no way I can afford it, and it is a huge financial gamble. Education is knowledge (no matter where you got it from), knowledge is power (when applied successfully), and power is control over your life, and what that means most importantly is THE ABILITY TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE AND CHANGE LIVES.

Over the last 3 years I've been looking into real estate off and on, setting it down and picking it up again. Now that I'm 18, I've really started digging into it. I've been researching like crazy, eager to learn everything I can. I've been pushing hard all year to set myself up for success on my first deal. I will mainly be wholesaling until I'm able to buy my first home. I have already found a title company who handles assignments and double closes, a bank to handle refinances as well as FHA and traditional home loans, built a buyers list, and recently found an awesome realtor who is now constantly sending me deals. I'm at a major milestone where I have learned everything I need to know EXCEPT for CONTRACTS, which I will continue to learn as soon as I finish typing this. After I become familiar with my contracts, I'll start knocking down my first deals, and make the transition into being an official investor. Hopefully one of Dean's youngest success stories! Also I'll try to maintain a daily blog, sharing information and inspiration on the site, so check it out when you get a chance. Thanks for reading!