Brace yourselves. This one's a doozy. Skip to the line if you're in a hurry.

I joined this site quite a while ago. Then, I forgot about it.  

I just focused on other things, almost all of them crazy ideas and flights of fancy that led me right back to here.  It got a bit out of hand, and I'll run you through a few of them if any of you are curious.

Anyway, I've had some time to think and grow up a bit in the passing of a year. I still want to improve my cash flow to the point where I can retire, but I'm now under no illusions that it will be a quick or easy process. 

As far as I can tell, real estate investment seems to be the best way to go for me. I get a lot of free time because of my work (it's not a horrible job, mind you).  My finances aren't that bad. I've certainly seen worse.  And, most of all, I think I can do it.

But I'm a total newbie.  Since I'm going to be spending some quality time with you guys on this site, I thought I might run the ins and outs of my circumstances and goals by you guys. Maybe you guys can take a look and possibly throw out a few ideas.

I can't offer my own real estate thoughts in exchange, by the way. I'm a good cook, though, so if you want food advice, I can help out there. 

----------------------------------------

Anyway, here's the rundown.

1. I currently own a home, though I'm in the process of selling. Monthly payment on mortgage is around $950 and I have $127,000 on the mortgage. I bought it right before the recession in '06, and have long since regretted the decision.

2. After the house sells, my girlfriend are going to rent until we get married, which will happen within the next two years. I talked to her about buying a multi-family and living in one of the units, and she likes the idea.

3. In fact, this is pretty much the first idea that I've had in a while that she's been fully on board with. That's not a complaint, by the way, as all of the ideas that she expressed concern with were terrible ideas. I'm thankful to have her as she's become a sort of canary for my various schemes.

4.  Long term goal:  Increase my cash flow so that I can retire and focus on real estate full time. While simultaneously cutting back on my expenses as much as possible, I'm going to increase my cash flow. Currently, I get about $2,500 a month from my job, and that takes care of my expenses and leaves me about $700 or so surplus once you factor in cash flow from my other assets. So, I need about $1,800 more, right?

5. I want to build this cash flow by buying multi-family properties. From what reading I've done on this site, that seems to be the most effective approach. Besides, I'm not sure that I'm a good enough marketer or salesman to try my hand at the others. 

6.  I am terrified of getting scammed in this process. There. I've said it. In fact, it's that specific fear that helped keep me away from this site. Not that I don't trust you, but, well, I don't really trust anyone at all when money is involved. We didn't have a lot growing up (single parent household), and I think that had a lot to do with making me this way. 

7. Here's my skillset:
-I have zero practical experience with sales, marketing, or business negotiations. I'm kind of an introvert, actually.
-I know how to do basic repairs--hammer and nail sort of stuff--and am generally a quick study when it comes to the stuff that I don't know. I plan to devote a sizable chunk of my summer to learning more handyman skills that I can leverage in buying a home (This Old House was one of my favorite shows growing up).
-I love research. It's weird.
-I'm a voracious reader.
-I seem to have a knack for putting together a basic budget on a spreadsheet. At the very least, my girlfriend seems impressed by it.
-I can do web design and a little bit of coding.
-I'm a good cook. That skill might not be useful in buying a house, but I'm sure I can leverage it one way or another. We all gotta eat, right?

So that's about it. Sorry it was so long. I just wanted to make sure that my head's on straight before I dive in to this thing.