Military Spouse on a Mission of Her Own

[Jessica Szombathelyi]

Hi everyone! My name is Jessica. As the title gives away, I am a military spouse and have been for the past 13 years. We are closing in on his twilight tour, meaning we are finally comfortable making some moves to purchase real estate. Over the years, we have gotten VERY lucky buying our home in San Diego, CA. Our place has equity of over $400k that we will be rolling into rental properties in coastal NC when we finally move next spring. The company I work for in the financial services industry was recently bought out, leading to an ESOP payout. We are already looking for our first deals and making moves with those funds. 

My passion for real estate started by watching my dad, who owned small 2-4 unit places in southeastern WI. I know the dedication it takes, but I have also seen the benefits. My husband and I love to remodel places together and have completed our entire primary residence, and we look forward to putting those skills toward making us more financially independent through rentals. We are still undecided on whether long-term, mid-term, or short-term are the best way to go, but we have started reading everything we can get our hands on to give us more background. 

Thank you for any guidance and tips you all can provide.