What's up BiggerPockets! After lurking in the shadows for a while I figured it was time to stop being shy and introduce myself on the forums. I found BP shortly after I barely escaped a guru trap two months ago and have been trying to soak up the articles, podcasts, posts, and recommended books ever since. Quite simply, this site rocks.

As for a little bit about me, I currently work and live in Arlington, VA. I've always been interested in real estate but didn't really take it seriously until I found, what I hope to be, a long term home here in the DC area. I grew up in NJ, lived in Charleston, SC for a while, and went to Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!) I'm still looking at all types of strategies but leaning towards buy and hold properties, and possibly the house-hacking strategy Brandon often talks about. The latter seems like it could be a smart start in an expensive DC / Northern VA market.