I became a real estate investor by accident and now I’m hungry for more!

[Darian Hines]

2 and a half years ago I was a hardworking blue collar young man with a set of twins on the way living with my girlfriend in subsidized housing. Hardworking, blue collar and subsidized housing shouldn’t go together in a sentence, yet there I was. I worked long hours at a job I bragged about too much for how much I was really dissatisfied with how I was living my life. I made it a mandatory mission to get my family out of subsidized housing before my daughters were born and into a house so they couldn’t ever call those apartments home. Pride took over in the most healthy way possible and a month before they arrived we moved into a tattered and neglected single story 3br with a beautiful yard and a worn down garage on the outskirts of town. My now fiancé and I saved up money from working along with our tax refunds and bought the place outright for $15k. Took the Covid stimmys with some earned income and after many many MANY trips to Home Depot the house had new plumbing, a new bathroom, new heating, new carpets, a new front porch and I became a jack of all trades. After all said and done we are in about $22k. After about a little over a year we decided that we wanted more than a polished turd and upgraded to a bigger and better maintained 2 story 4br on a lease agreement for $600/month. and we rented the old house out for $850/month. After the $600 goes to our current home, the $250 we’re left with goes to the rentals property tax. So we break even on our housing but I’m still VERY far from satisfied. I was still busting my hump and barely living “comfortably”. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset however; all my business ideas and plans were shelved in a haste to provide for my family and I became another miserable participant in societies Rat Race. My entrepreneurial tendencies had already extended to my fiancé and I set her up with her own business doing photography. With very little to no overhead costs, paired with her skill and passion for it, success was almost automatic. Shamefully admitting this bred a lot of envy and resentment in me toward her. I felt it was unfair that I was the brains behind everything and she makes more money, works less and loves what she does far more than I do. All my plans for my business goals were far more complex and needed quite a bit of start up capital. Still I always knew there was more to life than getting paid peanuts for being told to do stuff that I didn’t want to do by other people to make them money so they can live the life I felt like I was meant to live. So I decided to get back into my own goals and I started with my financial education. One day I just simply typed in “financial literacy” and that one search almost a year ago has led me to this community right here. Shortly after my first search on my quest of financial freedom, the internet introduced me to Rob Kyosaki who then introduced me to Ken McElroy and other rich dad advisors. I learned that I subconsciously had already started my path to financial freedom in a tangible fashion by completely owning a real estate investment. I realized that I actually like being a rental property owner and since has transformed into a passion for it. To realize that generating mass amounts of wealth through this vehicle is a very real reality, lit a fire inside of me that was put out for quite some time. I’m still a working man but the negative outlook on employment has been minimized greatly with the inner knowledge of that it’s not for long and soon I will be able to have the life I truly desire for me and my family. Right now I’m at the stage in my journey of gaining knowledge of how to multiply my investments and protect them. Trying come up with sound strategies of financing more units. So here I am today, hoping to learn from a team of experts and a network of like-minded individuals and maybe be one day find a partner for a deal and be able to pass down some of my own knowledge on here someday.

Thanks,

Darian H.

[Kaja Baum]

Such a cool story, @Darian Hines. Thanks for sharing! I recently Brrrr'd a property in Buffalo. There are definitely lots of opportunities up there. Sounds like your'e on a promising path!  

[Dmitriy Fomichenko]

Thank you for sharing your story @Darian Hines . Welcome to BP! You have found the right place for a plethora of information on REI.

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Wishing you the best!

[Melanie Thomas]

Hello and welcome to our community!

First of all, congratulations on all you've achieved so far. Your journey is inspiring and it's clear that you have an impressive amount of resilience and drive. Owning your own home outright and then leveraging it as a rental property is a huge accomplishment. The dedication you've shown towards bettering your family's life is commendable.

Your journey into real estate investing and desire to improve your financial literacy aligns perfectly with what our community stands for. You'll find a wealth of resources here that can help you further your knowledge in real estate investing, financing strategies, wealth protection, and much more.

Never hesitate to ask questions or share your experiences here. Our community is a mix of beginners and seasoned investors, and your unique perspective as a hardworking blue collar individual breaking into real estate could be invaluable to others. Plus, there are many members who could share advice or potentially partner with you on a deal.

Remember, you're already a success story. We're excited to be a part of your journey and look forward to seeing you achieve even greater heights in the future. Once again, welcome aboard!

Best,

Melanie