First-Time Investor Series

The 90-Day First Deal Plan

Worksheet · Author: Austin Coon

Most people who want to invest never buy anything — not because they lack money or knowledge, but because there is no clear next step. This plan fixes that by giving you a short list of things to do each week for thirteen weeks, grouped into five two-week phases plus a final closing week.

You will not need to know everything before you start; you’ll learn most of it by doing it. Two to five focused hours a week is enough, and you don’t need more than a notebook and a simple deal calculator. Falling behind is fine — stopping is not.

Weeks 1–2: Get clear

  • Week 1: Write a single sentence describing what you want in 90 days and why it matters. Name your main reason — monthly income, lower housing costs, or long-term wealth. Put two recurring real estate sessions on your calendar each week (2–5 hours total). Tell one person your goal and ask them to check in weekly.
  • Week 2: Choose one strategy to start — buy and hold, house hack a double, BRRRR, or a mid-term rental. Decide how hands-on you want to be. Draft your buy box: price range, beds and baths, property type, and target areas. Start a deal journal.

Weeks 3–4: Learn your market

  • Week 3: Pick one primary market — Indianapolis proper, a suburb, or a nearby city like Anderson. Research typical prices, typical rents, property taxes, and insurance quotes. Choose two or three neighborhoods to follow closely and drive them on a weekday evening and a weekend morning.
  • Week 4: Review 10 active listings that fit your buy box. Estimate rent for each using leased comps, not asking rents. Rough out expenses for each property and log what separates a deal that works from one that doesn’t.

Weeks 5–6: Get fluent with the numbers

  • Week 5: Analyze at least five deals, even ones you already suspect are bad. Practice estimating loan payment, taxes, insurance, repairs, reserves, vacancy, and management. Write down why each deal does or doesn’t meet your goal.
  • Week 6: Analyze five more deals and compare your best three side by side. Adjust your buy box based on what the numbers tell you. Aim to run a full analysis in about 15 minutes without getting attached.

Weeks 7–8: Build your team

  • Week 7: Talk with two or three lenders (conventional, DSCR, local bank or credit union). Ask about down payment, reserves, rates, and how rental income is counted. Get a pre-approval letter or proof of funds. Gather two years of tax returns, recent pay stubs, and bank statements.
  • Week 8: Line up your agent, insurance agent, contractor or handyman, and property manager. Walk Austin through your buy box so he can watch for on-market and off-market fits, and turn on listing alerts.

Weeks 9–10: Make offers

  • Week 9: Shortlist two or three properties that meet your criteria. Underwrite each fully with conservative rent and every expense. Tour your top pick, bringing a contractor if repairs are likely, and submit your first offer.
  • Week 10: Submit at least one more offer. Review counteroffers and rejections for what they teach you, and tighten your numbers. Stay consistent — don’t stretch your assumptions to win a deal you don’t love. Most first offers do not get accepted; that’s part of the process, not a verdict on you.

Weeks 11–12: Get under contract

  • Week 11: Keep making offers until one is accepted. Schedule inspections inside your window, including a sewer scope on older homes. Bind insurance and move your loan forward. Put every contract deadline on your calendar.
  • Week 12: Review the inspection report and decide what matters. Negotiate repairs or credits where it makes sense. Work through your lender and title checklist for closing, and plan utilities, the lease-up or move-in, and property management.

Week 13: Close and reflect

  • Close on your first property. Change the locks, set up utilities, and store your documents in one place. Celebrate — you did the thing most people only talk about.
  • Take ten minutes to write down what worked, what you’d do differently, and your next goal. Choose your focus for the next 90 days. Progress beats perfection — one real step each week adds up to a closing.

Common questions

What if I fall behind on a week?

That’s fine — falling behind is expected; stopping is the only real setback. Pick up exactly where you left off rather than restarting the plan.

How much time does this actually take each week?

Two to five focused hours a week is enough for most weeks — the plan is built around realistic effort alongside a full-time job and life.

When should I bring Austin in?

As early as week two, once you have a draft buy box. Austin helps with the parts that go faster with an experienced guide: pulling comps, touring properties, writing offers, and getting to the closing table.

Want to run this with Austin?

Bring your address, your numbers, or just your questions — Austin works through them with you before you\u2019re committed.