THE BIG PICTURE

They say that a goal without a plan is just a wish.  I believe that is true.  If your goal is to achieve financial independence through real estate investment, then owning rental properties is probably part of that plan. Or at least it should be.  Don't let anyone discourage you. Those investors who are not keen on rental properties have probably watched others crash and burn.  And there is NO doubt that MANY people have failed miserably at being a landlord.  However, those are the landlords who were just winging it. Or their personalities were such that they should have turned the reins over to a professional property manager right away (Note that we discuss in class how to determine if that is you, how to find a good property manager and how to negotiate the property management contract). Remember that you are not just managing properties. You are managing people too. And there are some essential skills, tools and knowledge you need to succeed.

The sad truth is that anyone who tells you that being a landlord is a big "headache" simply doesn't know what they are doing. Obviously, there are many landlords who go on to achieve great success...scaling their business to build larger and larger portfolios. So my recommendation is that you do your homework and stay the course.  Invest in your future and take the time to learn what you need to know to professionally manage both your rental properties and your tenants. Knowledge can be truly powerful if you take the time to absorb it and apply it. You will not learn this in a book or a blog. Hiring a coach is expensive. And trying to learn it from others puts you in danger of relying upon the massive amounts of misinformation which is commonly disseminated among real estate investor groups. 

At Landlord College, we prefer a different approach. One which is affordable and  meaningful. Albert Einstein said that "Any Fool Can Know...The Point is to Understand.'" That morsel of wisdom is priceless.  We don't want to simply drop a whole bunch of knowledge on you and hope for the best.  We want our students to really learn and understand everything they need to know to become successful. That includes so many different layers of learning including risk management principles, landlord-tenant law, fair housing laws, consumer protection laws, practical tips for communicating with tenants and serving legal notices, conflict resolution procedures and smart business practices (including legal forms and business forms). You will also learn how to avoid going to landlord-tenant court as well as how to be prepared for it if necessary. For any graduate of Landlord College, the rest will come easily and you will be on the right path. And you will become part of a community that supports you unconditionally.

Professor Landlord