You’re here to buy your first rental property. This is the Real Estate Rookie Podcast, and as a rookie, where should you start? Most new real estate investors think that the steps to buying a rental property are simple—find an agent, find a property, buy the property. And although that could buy you a rental property, the chances of you becoming successful are very low. Real estate investing requires much more than just purchasing a property if you’re trying to build generational wealth, financial freedom, and a life that operates on your schedule.

It shouldn’t be surprising that the CEO of a company like BiggerPockets is someone who took the slow, yet highly successful route. No raising money on his first deal, no buying multimillion-dollar apartment complexes, no giant yacht, and no private planes. Scott Trench is the epitome of the “grind until you shine” real estate investor. Starting with little-to-no savings, he was able to work his way up to his first rental, his second, and now his thirteenth.

To celebrate the release of the updated version of his wildly popular book, Set for Life, Scott has created a ten-step checklist that any new investor should use to get their first real estate investment. These steps were specifically designed for you to not just get one rental, but many more following your first purchase. These are the exact steps Scott took to reach financial freedom in under ten years, and if you follow them as well, you might be able to do it faster.