Hello Bigger Pockets Community!

[Lindsay Ferlin]

Hello Bigger Pockets Community!

I am new here and just wanted to share a little bit about my journey so far. I was introduced to Bigger Pockets by a friend on September 29th. My eyes have been opened. I feel like I am waking up from a deep sleep. I had always thought of myself as someone who doesn't know how to "do" money. I was completely financially illiterate and I thought money was too difficult to learn. Turns out it is not that difficult at all and I can teach myself a lot! Since September 29th I have been able to cut my expenses to create a 50% savings rate. I am using that savings to pay down tax debt. That should be paid off by February and then I will be able to use that money to begin saving for my first investment property. I hope to purchase my first property by the end of 2019. I've also saved up a small emergency fund and started travel hacking as well as researching tax optimization strategies (I am self employed as a psychotherapist). In the last 8 weeks I have read Dave Ramsey's book, Meet the Frugalwoods, The Simple Path to Wealth, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Richest Man in Babylon, Set for Life, and How to Invest in Real Estate. My mind is churning with ideas. While I am saving money to invest I plan to continue to read and learn as much as I can about the real estate market. Next on the reading list are books on estimating rehab expenses, long distance investing, BURRR and investing with low money down. I am hoping that reading these books can help me decide which investment strategy to take. I am considering house hacking (although I live in the Bay Area so it is more difficult to find a deal that works here) and/or long distance BURRR.

Thank you to everyone who shares their knowledge so freely on the forums. I look forward to meeting and interacting with many of you going forward.