New real state investor in Houston.

New to Real Estate · Houston, Texas. · Member since 2025 · 1 post · 7 votes

I’m currently employed full-time and actively working toward becoming a full-time real estate investor. Over the past few years, I’ve been intentionally studying real estate through books, podcasts, and hands-on learning, and I’m committed to building a solid foundation before scaling. I currently own one rental property, which has helped me gain practical experience with ownership, tenants, and cash flow. My primary investment strategies are fix and flip and BRRRR, with a focus on finding value-add opportunities and executing efficiently. I’m here to keep learning, connect with other investors, and collaborate on deals as I continue to grow in this space.

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Jesus RomanBusiness Member

Real Estate Agent · Houston, TX · Member since 2020 · 175 posts · 75 votes

8mo

Welcome to the game, @Gonzalo Perez! You’re already ahead of the curve. Many of us can agree that the first deal is always the hardest. My best advice is to attend meetups and actively connect with like-minded people. Knowing what to do is important, but being surrounded by people who are already doing what you’re interested in makes a huge difference.

Best of luck on your journey—Houston is an excellent market to start in with strong opportunities ahead.

713-594-9124

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Jesus RomanBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Houston, TX · Member since 2020 · 175 posts · 75 votes
8mo
Welcome to the game, @Gonzalo Perez! You’re already ahead of the curve. Many of us can agree that the first deal is always the hardest. My best advice is to attend meetups and actively connect with like-minded people. Knowing what to do is important, but being surrounded by people who are already doing what you’re interested in makes a huge difference.

Best of luck on your journey—Houston is an excellent market to start in with strong opportunities ahead.
713-594-9124
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Jimmy LieuBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
8mo
Quote from @Gonzalo Perez:
I’m currently employed full-time and actively working toward becoming a full-time real estate investor. Over the past few years, I’ve been intentionally studying real estate through books, podcasts, and hands-on learning, and I’m committed to building a solid foundation before scaling. I currently own one rental property, which has helped me gain practical experience with ownership, tenants, and cash flow. My primary investment strategies are fix and flip and BRRRR, with a focus on finding value-add opportunities and executing efficiently. I’m here to keep learning, connect with other investors, and collaborate on deals as I continue to grow in this space.
Welcome to BP Gonzalo, sounds like you're taking a really smart and intentional path into this, and already owning a rental puts you way ahead of most people getting started. Fix and flip and BRRRR are great strategies, especially when you stay disciplined on buying right and managing your execution. One thing I've seen help a lot of investors make the jump from W2 to full-time is focusing on markets where value-add deals still actually work on paper, and that's why I always point people toward Columbus Ohio. I now own 10+ rentals here, and the reason is the numbers still make sense. You can find value-add properties in the $120k–$180k range that hit the 1% rule after rehab, cash flow well, and still have strong appreciation upside. The macroeconomics are on fire with population growth, job growth, and massive companies like Intel, Amazon, Google, Honda, Microsoft, LG, and others expanding here, which really supports long-term demand. It's also a landlord-friendly market, which makes scaling much more predictable. You're definitely in the right room to keep learning and building momentum. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!

[email protected]614-300-7535
Jimmy Lieu, Red 1 Realty4.9120 Reviews
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Arman AhmedPro Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 957 votes
8mo
@Gonzalo Perez
Welcome Gonzalo, A lot of investors hit a wall in high-cost markets once they try to scale BRRRRs or flips, which is why many eventually look toward Midwest markets where entry prices are lower, value-add still exists, and deals can actually cash flow after refi. With your fix-and-flip + BRRRR background, you'll find those skills translate really well there, especially in B and C class neighborhoods where execution matters more than speculation. Glad you're here and building the foundation before scaling, that mindset pays off long term.

[email protected]614-418-6081
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Alfath AhmedBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8mo
Quote from @Gonzalo Perez:
I’m currently employed full-time and actively working toward becoming a full-time real estate investor. Over the past few years, I’ve been intentionally studying real estate through books, podcasts, and hands-on learning, and I’m committed to building a solid foundation before scaling. I currently own one rental property, which has helped me gain practical experience with ownership, tenants, and cash flow. My primary investment strategies are fix and flip and BRRRR, with a focus on finding value-add opportunities and executing efficiently. I’m here to keep learning, connect with other investors, and collaborate on deals as I continue to grow in this space.

That's the way to do it brother. Choose a good market in the midwest.
From that market, I would look to connect with a good investor agent that can connect you with good contractors, hard-money lenders/DSCR lenders, and property managers that can lease and manage for you.

Your agent should be getting you off-market deals. Buy them at 75% ARV rule. They can also help guide you in building a Scope of Work to get a clear/better indicator of your rehab costs.

[email protected]614-802-5698
ReafCo | Ahmed Group 539 Reviews
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Armando Garrido
Contractor · Katy, TX · Member since 2026 · 7 posts · 5 votes
8mo
Welcome to the Houston market, @Gonzalo Perez. It’s good to see you taking a disciplined approach and building a strong foundation.

I work with local investors after acquisition, handling full renovation scopes for rental rehabs and turnovers. We walk the property, create a detailed line-item scope (labor and materials), and manage execution to get the home rent-ready efficiently and aligned with your return goals.

We currently focus on the Katy, Richmond, and Cypress areas.

If you ever need support on a newly purchased rental or an upcoming turnover, feel free to reach out. Happy to connect.
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Juan YepesBusiness Member
Lender · Miami, FL · Member since 2025 · 127 posts · 35 votes
8mo
Hi Gonzalo,
Sounds like you are doing all the right things and are well on your way to being a full time investor. All it takes is a decision to start. The rest is hard work.
Based on your strategy, it seems your focus is scaling. By forcing appreciation through renovations, refinancing and using proceeds for the next down payment. This is a great strategy and having a strong financing partner is as important as having a strong contractor.
If you're interested to discuss further, feel free to DM.
[email protected]
Helm Mortgage Corp - Juan Yepes, Director5125 Reviews
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