BiggerPockets

Bob- Good to connect with you as well. I am in Maryland most of the time and am in NOLA 2 to 3 times per month (for a 3 or 4 days each trip). I've owned a place in NOLA for about 3 years now and got into the real estate market a couple of years ago. I've been involved in real estate in Baltimore for a little over 4 years now (probably 8 years or so if you count all of the years of watching the market and trying to decide whether or not to take the plunge) and hadn't considered NOLA until an opportunity basically fell in my lap. I wholesaled a handful of condos and, after much due diligence and a lot of networking, I decided to get into the 'fix and flip' side. It's a different dinosaur in NOLA with the type of construction. I'm used to concrete foundations and below-ground basements in the Baltimore area so the raised foundations took a while to get comfortable with. Fortunately, I made several good, trusted contacts and have surrounded myself with the right people. I am not a member of the NOLA Real Estate Investor Club but it's something I'd like to look into if my schedule permits. Unfortunately, most of my time is spent with my contractors and the real estate agent I work with when I'm in town. Though I guess that's not a bad problem to have. Anyhow, I'll let you know when I'll be in town again. If you could provide me with the NOREIC schedule and location information or a website link, I'd greatly appreciate it. You can reach me on my cell phone at 504-330-2344. I'm very surprised there was no group created for NOLA and So. Lousiana. Hopefully, we can get this group off and running and be a valuable resource to all involved. Take Care, Don Rathmell

11:05AM on October 06, 2008 · Don Rathmell