BiggerPockets Employee Turned Investor on Getting Started in Real Estate

I’ve always been someone who likes to keep busy. Growing up, I wasn’t sure what my career or future would look like, but the one thing I knew is I didn’t see myself in any “traditional” roles such as a doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc. In college, I decided I would work toward a career in the special event industry. I successfully landed multiple internships, which allowed me to have a pretty great job secured to start full-time just two days after college graduation. I worked hard to set myself up for success and felt like I was on a great path; however, I couldn’t imagine what my life would look like in 5, 10, 20+ years.

It didn’t happen all at once, but I began to realize I needed other things in life. Albeit a fun few years working in events, I found my job exhausting, and I constantly felt emotionally drained and underappreciated (and terribly underpaid). I felt stuck in a job where I was unhappy and struggling to get out of a toxic personal relationship. After many months of making pro/con lists and planning, I decided to take a chance and move from North Carolina to Colorado. I’m so glad I did because that move was to join an amazing company called BiggerPockets, which is how my REI journey began!

As someone who liked to be “busy,” I jumped into my new role and embraced being a member of the BiggerPockets team. I was finally happy in my career and felt like I was working for a company that really cared about me, my interests, and my development. I still couldn’t tell you where I wanted to be in 5, 10, 20+ years, but I at least felt like I was learning more and on a more sustainable path.

But I didn’t really have answers when a former manager—the most wonderful, compassionate, intelligent woman I’ve had the privilege of working with—asked me tough questions like, “Where do you see yourself? What do you want to do in your career? What are your goals? What interests you most?” I knew what I did NOT want to do, but I didn’t know what I wanted. No one had ever directly asked me those questions before, and it wasn’t something I ever critically thought about, which I’m not proud to admit.

How I Got Started in Real Estate Investing

Once I started really thinking about my life, how it relates to the somewhat traditional, Southern upbringing I had, and compared that to my own values, I realized I wanted more. Working somewhere I’m passionate about is always going to be important to me and having the opportunity to achieve professionally is deeply fulfilling. At 25 years old, I realized I never wanted to choose between being a mother and having a career. I always hoped to have a family of my own someday but knew being a permanent stay-at-home parent wasn’t my aspiration, at least not at that time.

It was such a turning point for me. I realized how I had been doing the things I was taught, whether directly or passively, versus identifying my own personal values and goals. Having learned all that I had from BiggerPockets, I felt real estate was a way for me to achieve more financial security and my own independence. A lightbulb went off, and I knew that I wanted to invest in real estate before my 26th birthday.

Overcoming Fear

Investing was a tough decision, not only because of how frightening it was financially, but I also didn’t feel fully supported by my friends or family. “Why don’t you just keep renting?” was a question I was asked frequently. Not feeling encouraged by those closest to me didn’t make my decision to invest easier. Yet I felt a fire building within me every time someone asked a question that in years prior would have filled me with self-doubt. I somehow felt motivated to prove that I could do this—I could achieve my goals, which was something I had never really sought out to do before.

Gratefully, I had the support of many of my team members at BiggerPockets. Since the Denver market is expensive, I decided I wanted to house hack. It seemed like the most compatible strategy with my average income. My colleagues gave me an abundance of emotional support, in addition to referring me to a fantastic agent and lender who provided the most incredible first-time homebuyer experience.

There were tears of joy and tears of “holy shit, what am I doing?” and tears of pure anxiety—like when I had to initial what seemed like 1,000 pages for my lender, and I wanted to back out of the deal. That feeling didn’t go away until I closed on the house in March 2018. For some reason, doing it as a single 25-year-old woman felt like I was trying to defy all odds, which sounds strange to admit in writing. To this day, I’m still not completely sure why I felt that way.

Looking Back

Buying my first house felt like the hardest thing I’d ever do, but I can promise you that doing my first deal and doing it alone financially was the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Flash forward to present day (January 2021). My house hack turned into a cash-flowing rental property in April 2019. The extra income from this property allowed me to finally hit my savings goal to make another purchase—a long-distance investment, which is a duplex in Tennessee and to this day still remains sight unseen. My recent investment was a “forever home” with my fiance, which we’re also currently house hacking!

My real estate anxiety is gone. I conquered my fears and I’m a cash-flowing landlord. I feel more sure of my personal and professional goals than ever before, and I plan to keep investing while also working at BiggerPockets—4 years and counting!

Do you want to start investing but have yet to take the leap? What’s holding you back?

Let’s talk in the comment section below!

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.