All Forum Posts by: Christina J.

Welcome, Sandy! Love the idea of pursuing your home inspectors license - that will give you a unique perspective on your REI career.

I'm not super familiar with the south TX area, but it sounds like you've given a lot of thought to your strategy and the neighborhoods where you want to execute. I recommend setting up keyword alerts for your area so you can start engaging with conversations in the forum that center on those neighborhoods - that can be a great way to connect with like minded folks pretty quickly.

Also, f you haven't subscribed to the Bigger Pockets podcast yet, I can't recommend it highly enough. I lurked in the forums and listened to the podcast for several years before making the leap to buying my first property. The education I received through the podcast was invaluable in giving me the knowledge and confidence to do the first deal. Eight properties later and no looking back now!

Best of luck to you and keep all of us posted on your journey!

Welcome, Chelsie! Sounds like you've got a plan and you are working it well...but that is to be expected. In my experience, marketing folks make great real estate investors ;)

Love your strategies as laid out above - my first 7 properties were conventionally financed and it just made it easier for us. But I gotta agree with @Christian Allen....if you have an opportunity to house hack with an FHA loan at 3.5% down....it's probably worth the effort at this point in your career. I don't have many regrets about our real estate investing journey, but if I had to do it over, I would house hack early and often.

Keep us posted on your journey - look forward to following your success!

Welcome, Edward! You're in the right place - so many of us look at real estate as a way to minimize the uncertainty we feel in our day jobs. Knowing you have multiple streams of income makes work challenges just a little easier to manage.

So glad you've already plugged into the podcasts - just a wealth of information there that helped me so much when I started out - and honestly, it still does today. 

Best of luck on your journey and look forward to following your successes!

Welcome, Tamara! Kudos to you for putting together a real estate investment plan - and don't worry about your newbie status - spring chickens are overrated ;)

If you haven't already, I would recommend that you start talking to potential lenders (banks, mortgage brokers, credit unions, etc.) You don't want them to actually pull your credit, but go in and set up a meeting with them and walk them through your situation honestly, and see what they can do to help on financing. It sounds like you're already working to put yourself in a better financial position, so even if they don't think they can lend to you now, they would likely be able to share criteria and a timeline for when that would be possible. 

Also - be sure you're tuning into the Bigger Pockets podcast. I've learned so many creative options for financing on the podcast that I never knew existed....it could be a great source of inspiration for you. Bigger Pockets Money podcast also has some insightful episodes about building a solid financial foundation in order to eventually make real estate (or other) investments. All kinds of inspiration to be had around this website!

Best of luck to you and I look forward to following your journey! 

Welcome, Hannah! Sounds like you have a solid plan for your real estate investment journey. So glad you've already plugged into the Bigger Pockets podcast - that was a huge source of education for me when I first started.

If you haven't already, I would recommend finding a real estate agent that you trust, and also start talking to lenders (banks, mortgage brokers, credit unions, etc.) I'm not sure what your financing strategy is for your early phases, but it will save you time and money in the long run if you're familiar with all your options now. And be sure to check with folks other than your family banker (where you carry all your accounts) - you'd be surprised how much price / term shopping can save you on each deal. 

Best of luck to you and I look forward to following your journey!

Welcome, Lisa! I second David's perspective - it varies by investor and deal. But definitely review the podcast and article above. 

Also, on your first few deals, it would only benefit you to have a contractor you trust walk through the property with you and develop a scope of work and estimate. Certainly those numbers can change as you get into a project and find unexpected issues, but it's a good place to start and should help you develop per sq ft pricing for flooring, paint, roofing, etc - all the most common components of a renovation. 

Connecting with folks at your local Real Estate Investors Association (REIA) can help you find a good contractor, and colleagues there may also be able to help with rule of thumb costs on some of these common jobs.

Good luck to you on your journey!

Congrats, Zack - love your positivity and motivation. Keep us all posted on your journey - we're excited to see what comes next for you!

Welcome, Evan! Sounds like you're motivated and ready to tackle this new adventure...you're in good company here!

If you haven't subscribed to the Bigger Pockets podcast yet, I can't recommend it highly enough. I lurked in the forums and listened to the podcast for several years before making the leap to buying my first property. The education I received through the podcast was invaluable in giving me the knowledge and confidence to do the first deal. They talk with successful investors of all kinds - buy and hold rentals, commercial, flippers, wholesalers - you'll get a great overview of the options across the REI landscape.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted on your journey!

Welcome, Lazaro! I think you'll find many like-minded folks here who are working W2 jobs and also launching their REI career...it's challenging but so worth it.

If you haven't subscribed to the Bigger Pockets podcast yet, I can't recommend it highly enough. I lurked in the forums and listened to the podcast for several years before making the leap to buying my first property. The education I received through the podcast was invaluable in giving me the knowledge and confidence to do the first deal. Eight properties later and I still tune in every week for my dose of creativity and inspiration.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted on your journey!

Welcome, Tairsa! Way to go on your early investments - I don't really have any regrets about our REI journey, but if I could do it over, I would house hack early and often. Also, running + eating are the best hobbies ;)

If you haven't subscribed to the Bigger Pockets podcast yet, I can't recommend it highly enough. I lurked in the forums and listened to the podcast for several years before making the leap to buying my first property. The education I received through the podcast was invaluable in giving me the knowledge and confidence to do the first deal. Eight properties later and no looking back now!

Best of luck to you and keep us posted on your journey!