Intro post from Danville, VA
Hello, everyone. I've been a member of Bigger Pockets for nearly a year. I've read many discussions in the forums, but I have yet to make my first post even though Brandon Turner says to do so in nearly every BP Podcast episode. So here I am finally!
A little about me: I am Lee Carter, and I've been wanting to get involved with buy and hold residential rentals since I was about 10 years old. My grandfather owns a dozen or so rental properties, and I grew up painting, cleaning-up after tenants, and doing all those things most kids would find completely boring. The idea of being able to control your own financial destiny and become "financially independent" always intrigued me. Well, it's 18 years later, and I'm not quite there yet. I (along with my fiance) own three residential properties (two in Danville, VA and one in Burlington, NC) and am looking to add another by the end of summer, so we'll get there one day.
While I enjoy my full-time job of teaching biology and anatomy to high school students, I do want to get to a point where I can focus solely on expanding my real estate portfolio. However, I don't do this just for chance at financial freedom; I do it because I enjoy it. I enjoy the reading and learning (with Brandon's Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down being the first book I've actually read since high school), playing with the BP calculators and coming-up with creative finance ideas, and working on most rehab projects (but not painting!).
I think I've said too much. My bad! I look forward to becoming a more active member of this awesome community!