All Forum Posts by: Christina J.

Welcome, Brighten! 

Chattanooga is a great market for real estate investment (a little too hot right now, but still deals to be had). Connect with me directly and I'm happy to share info for my local real estate attorney. 

Best of luck!

Welcome, India! Sounds like you have a great idea of your specific goals for your career transition. 

If you haven't subscribed to the 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!

Welcome, John! Sounds like you have a great plan in place already. Loved your #3 - not looking for a home run, just a solid deal. That will probably be a key to your success...finding the solid base hits and investing for the long term. 

If you haven't already, I recommend subscribing to the BP podcast - I've been investing for three years now and educating myself on the options and opportunities in real estate all started in the Bigger Pockets podcast. Time well spent, I promise!

Best of luck on your journey!

Welcome, Cara! Congrats on your first purchase. Sounds like you're already well on your way to success in real estate! And kudos to you for plugging into the podcast already - that was a huge part of building confidence in me to start investing (and not just THINKING about investing :)

I'm just down the road about 90 minutes so feel free to reach out if you have any questions along the way. Best of luck to you and your husband!

Welcome, Michelle! 

I stayed in the terrified-but-reading-all-the-forums-and-listening-to-all-the-podcasts phase for almost two years before buying my first property. You're so right - it get's easier after that first one! Keep reading and listening and asking questions - it will all grow your confidence and make you a better investor when the time comes. 

Best of luck! We're all cheering for you!

Welcome, Rachel! Your goal of quitting your job and traveling sounds wonderful - and the nanny part sounds divine - I think you've found your tribe here ;)

Sounds like you've already put yourself in a great position with these first two properties. I've only been doing REI for about three years, but I've learned that there's rarely one right answer to a big question like this one. It all depends on your specific goals and risk / pain tolerance at this point of your life.

With that said, here are a couple of the questions and considerations I would have if I were in your shoes. Not asking for answers, just food for thought:

 - what is my freedom number, meaning, how much do I need monthly / annually to leave my job and realize my dream of traveling?

 - given my $400k of equity, what are all possible options to get me to that freedom number? 

 - what is the fastest option to get me to that number?

- in addition to the two options you listed, I would likely also be considering an FHA owner / occupied multifamily, as this could be a great cash flow generator down the line.

At the end of the day, you have multiple good options to choose from...it just comes down to identifying the one best for you at this point in your life. 

Keep us posted! 

Hi, Eric! Welcome to BP. Everyone here started with zero experience, so you're amongst friends ;)

Sounds like you have a solid plan of attack to build your network. If you haven't already, take a listen to the BP podcast - it was a huge part of my education as I started in REI and will give you so much confidence to tackle this new venture.

Best wishes on your journey!

Welcome, Dellener! Congrats on joining BP - you're in the right place to learn more about buy and hold deals as well as rehabbing. 

I'm a buy and hold investor and about half our properties have involved rehab. Happy to help with any specific questions you may have as you work through your investment process. 

In the meantime, I would recommend listening through the BP podcast if you haven't already. So many of those episodes formed the foundation of my REI understanding and gave my husband and I the confidence to pursue real estate. They will certainly give you a professional view of the field and guide you through your early process.

Best wishes to you on the journey!

Welcome, Jason! Sounds like you're doing all the right things to get yourself educated. 

One additional factor that helped me in the early stages of REI was having the advice of a trusted real estate agent. I know a lot of investors don't like paying the fees, but on those early purchases, our agent saved us so much time and money and was an invaluable part of getting us off the ground. Other key mentors along the way have been a community banker, and a title company owner - all contributed to our knowledge base about the buying, lending and closing processes.

Best of luck to you!