All Forum Posts by: J. Martin

@Elizabeth Colegrove, 

CONGRATS!!! Well earned Elizabeth!!!

It's been a long journey in different places for you, and you turned that into sweet, sweet lemonade!!!! I love the remote landlording gig, and getting out of the W2!!! Congrats on the next move, and to the next step! I had to buy @Sandeep S. a pitcher because he beat me buy a few weeks, so maybe I'll have to have you buy me a pitcher too for beating you by a a week or two! ;) lol Always nice seeing other young folks enjoying the RE life, especially those helping others and spreading the important (but sometimes painful) landlording truth. Looking forward to seeing you out at the Summit! Thanks so much for being so helpful to everyone on BP, and to me and for the event!! Appreciate it so much :)

@Lilia Andrew
 Thanks for being a teacher Lilia! :) Even if you’re leaving for RE, most people don’t make that contribution :) I have never been to Hawaii and would LOVE LOVE LOVE to come out there! But I’ve always been too cheap to go to a resort, so I was just going to bring my “nice” hammock and hang out in the trees! Lol (I love forests :)But if I had a roof too, I would have to go!!! Happy to share my real estate knowledge, some jokes, cook up some fresh island flavors, and some warm island songs on the uke!!!! :) Also, happy to share one of my places when I am in the Bay, or block off my Oakland studio for you when you're visiting the '48 (as long as someone didn't beat you to the studio!)

I am so happy for you that you get to live there!!!

@Account Closed
 Nice meeting you at @Al Williamson’s event too! I had announced I was quitting at the event, but just officially did it. Hope to see you down in the Bay at my next one in SF! Al will be there too, or I quit! lol

@Tracey Pera, @Reginald S.,
So many people have helped me along the way also, and still do. Great to give back a little along the way ;)

@Jake Thomas, @Ayodeji Kuponiyi 
Congrats on getting close! How did you all get to where you are, about to quit..? Blood, sweat, and tears? Easy going? What kind of investments?

@Myra J., @Jessie Niu.,
Are you getting close too? What are you doing to get to the finish line?..

@David Echeverria and @Lauren Bishop,
“The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.” BP Is a great place to start!!
My Norcal folks, Hayward and Ukiah!! You two need to come out to the Summit next year!!

@Ericka G.,
Congrats on jumping ship! You, along with @Sandeep, @Minh, @David C, and many others have beat me to it. But happy to follow in your footsteps! :) In fact, I had to buy Sandeep a pitcher at the last meetup, because he beat me to it!! lol

@Fred Whitney
 I don’t have an specific recommendations for places to invest your money right now, except that @Brian burke is someone I would trust, at Praxis Capital, if you are looking for a 100% passive investment. I don’t think he’s looking for any semi passive folks though!

@Kevin Olson, @Shawn Connors, @Drew Markert, @Mark Spidell, @Eric Brundige, @Weiwei Gao, @Jon H, @Craig Moore, @Jeffrey Havis Sr, @Betsy Tidwell, @Nicole m, @Brenda Snyder, @Jorge Hernandez, @Charmaine M., @William Faddis,

What are you all doing now to get off the day to day W2 grind? Specific list of daily goals? Sorta plan, and finding as you go? How will you get to your goal? I’m rooting for everyone!

@Nicole Millsundefined

@Amit M.

“@J. MartinI highly suggest a convertible for your road trip! I drive a Mini Cooper convertible and just love it :)”
I like those mini cooper convertibles! I’ve always wanted a BMW convertible, and have seen some around $5-6K with around 125k miles. I figured if I take a $1k or so hit selling it later (assuming I doesn’t break down), that would probably be a worthwhile expense :) A reasonably priced “treat yourself.” ;) But then I saw something much more impractical like this Cadillac! Only 3 MPG, but done in STYLE!!! ;) What do you think!?! Kind of Fear and Loathing style lol Maybe roll through Las Vegas and Phoenix – kinda desert cruiser, no?..

@Alnie F.
Glad we could get you introduced to some of the BP locals like @Amit and @Arlen Chou  ;) @David C. & @Account Closed are too busy running around making money, so you have to stay late if you want to catch them! And thanks again for the scotch! Very nice of you :) I’m with you on just watching and saving cash. Expanding my furnished rental business to stack more cash, but not buying right now.. (I tried to get a 12k sq ft warehouse in Vallejo under contract last week for a special project, but someone else beat me to it..)

Minh – what do you mean, “..debating if I should make an effort and show up for J's last meet up in SF on 4/7.”!?! Just come out!!! :)

@Brandon Turner
Appreciate it! So do you think you can come down again for the next Summit? Looks like a good group convalescing.. Should be a fun reunion :)

@Jonna Weber 
Thanks for the suggestions!!! I’ll be back in Cali in late July for a family reunion, but hopefully I can hit Idaho in June and still enjoy some of that summer weather and festivals :) I’ll bug you if I’m in the area! And I’ll let you know when I hash out the dates for the Summit. Hope you can make it back out!!

@April Benard
Thanks for sharing how you plan to get there!!! Most people just state they want to be there! Lol I think all those methods are great, and would add going to RE meetups in person, and following up with people after!

@Mary Ann Casey
Thanks so much! And it looks like you’ll make it to the meetup on 4/7..?

@Alison , @Tannon Napper, @Rapy Narruhn, @Karen ,@James Thiel, @Steve S., @Isaac Blocher, @Ian Walsh
Appreciate the shout-outs!!! So what are ya’ll’s plans on getting to that goal? What is your niche, and how many offers are you putting out there..? 

@Alison Decastroundefined

@Karen P.undefined

@Scott Trench,

I think it partially has to do with establishing a track record, knowing you know what you are doing, and being able to invest piece by piece as you get capital, partners, and knowledge, with deals you can understand well. 

If we all waited until we could sink all our funds into our "Ideal" $5MM deal, we may miss the RE train!!!

I thought I would always keep all my properties, but now I'm pretty sure I'll 1031 exchange at least out of 1 or 2.. We'll see about the rest.

Can be dangerous to go on an acquisition spree just to hit a target though!

I'd rather have 1 or 2 GREAT deals a year than 5-10 marginal ones!!

@Brian Burke

“Sounds great,@J. Martin! Count me in, the last one was awesome. I don't know how you top that, but I'm sure you will.’

Thanks Brian! That means a lot coming from you!! I might have to get a testimonial from you for the advertising! ;) Thanks so much for your guidance on business and real estate – anchoring my first Summit, advice over dinner & meetup in Santa Rosa, at @Al Williamson 's Summit in Sacramento, all the knowledge you share on BP.. You rock! Of any one (or three) people you haven't met face to face on BP, who would you most like to meet? Tag them and I will try to get them to come out :)

And YES, I WILL top the last one!!! :)
Maybe you can help me by making sure @Ben Leybovich, @Serge S., @Brandon Turner, @J Scott, and @Jon Klaus make it out to the big reunion too! (is that too much to ask?!) There’s no other way to get everyone in one room!! And San Francisco, Oakland, and Silicon Valley are a beautiful place to visit, enjoy, AND do BUSINESS!!! Ben, it is NOT on New Years’ Day. Just put a place holder in. Ben, I’ll protect you from Brian. You just gotta get Brandon down here too to help!

How about you Ben? Who are a few folks you would most like to meet face to face, from BP? 

@Sean OToole,
I'm a huge fan of data, history, and all the work that you have done. Truly an admirer, and I'm sure I don't even know half of what you've done. It was a great turnout and event for the last Summit, and you and Bruce Norris are at the top of my real estate data/economics list to come out and share!! I am a Property Radar subscriber, and happy to preach the benefits! ;) Have you sat down with Brian Burke and some of these other great investors from BP yet also..? I'll give you some more info about the prior Summit, plans for this one, and hopefully can convince you to make the short trip down ;)

For my “new blood” wish list speakers who already chimed in.. Thank you!
@Rick H., @David Krulac, and @Joel Owens, @Wendell de Guzman would love to have you out! I will let you know as soon as I get a date. I have 2 main potential venues already selected, including the prior venue at San Francisco State University, the much larger and fantastically beautiful Oakland Scottish Rite, on phenomenal Lake Merritt. How about you three? What other speakers would you like to see at the Summit? 

Joel,
I charged a couple hundred dollars for tickets last year, and will be doing the same this year (probably a bit higher), so most investors either have capital they are looking to deploy and really want to come see/meet the speakers, or are growing their business. They were a great mix of people to learn from, make connections with, and many (including me) ended up doing deals together. I can definitively say there were 10’s if not 100’s of millions of capital controlled by members at the last Summit, and much more in net worth, from what I personally know about people in my network who were present. The wealth on California’s coasts is no joke, and we are at the core of San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and the Bay Area. So I think an opportunity to connect capital, deals, bright minds, and fun people, is good for everyone :)

@Bill Exeter, @Mark Ainley, @Jeff Pollack, @William Robison, it was a blast, wasn’t it!? Thanks so much for making it an awesome Summit, and jumping in head first! I’ll be hashing out the topics for the next Summit as we progress towards the event. It won’t be an exact replica of the last event, but I’m hoping to incorporate as many great speakers as I can :)

 @Shane Pearlman
You have to have at least 1,000 posts on BP before you get invited on to my panels!! That’s why I can’t invite you and @Arlen Chou out for lessons on business. Get busy!!!!! Lol Seriously though, you, Brian Burke, and Arlen Chou would be a great for a “growing and managing your business” round. I don’t really know how the timing, number of topics, space, etc will work out yet, but I like the idea, and will keep in mind.. Any particular person from BP you've been hoping to meet? 

@Elizabeth Colegrove,
Thanks so much for volunteering to help!!!! I like the idea of having a “remote management” topic – and I think it fits well into the “lifestyle design” idea that a lot of people are looking for (getting closer there myself every day!!!). I’m still not sure how things will play out, but hopefully we can have you join if we are doing it :) Are you excited about your next move/adventure? And who's on your top 3 list to meet face to face from BP? 

@Troy Fisher! Blast from the past! How are things up North? I’ll probably be traveling through your way around June or July..? I’ll hit you up. What are you up to right now? Are there more deals up that way than down here..? Anyone you've been missing from BP? 

@Peggy Liu, @Gary Parker, @Eric Yang, @Andy 

@Andy A.undefined, Glad you all are excited about it!! Who from BP would you most like to meet/see/speak at this event? Speakers and attendees? 

**RE Netw
Now that I quit my job this week and have a little more time, I’ll be hosting another big
REAL ESTATE NETWORKING SUMMIT WEEKEND in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2017!!!! (Details TBA - ignore date above). But it will be a RE Networking Extravaganza to top the last Summit I hostedin 2014!!! (so good I can only do it every 3 years! Lol)

PLEASE POST BELOW IF YOU’RE INTERESTED (and tag a friend!), SO I CAN INFORM YOU WHEN I HAVE THE DETAILS. (and let us know how you liked it last time if you made it!)

The speakers, attendees, and networking were phenomenal last time!! And we’re going to blow that out of the water in 2017!! Note that this is NOT a BP event, although a lot of folks that are also on BP tend to show up. Here are some of the speakers and panelists that came out to share last time:

@Brian Burke, @Aaron Mazzrillo, @Brandon Turner, @Bryan Hancock, @Brie Schmidt, @Jerry Puckett, @Chris Clothier, @Al Williamson, @Dave Van Horn, @Bill Exeter, @Mark Ainley, @Marcia Maynard, and more..

A few speakers I would like to see in the mix this time include..
 @Jay Hinrichs, @J Scott, @Will Barnard, @Bruce Norris (@Aaron Norris?) @Sean OToole, @Michael Quarles , @K Marie Poe..

What do you all think? Ready for a little retreat to the beautiful SF Bay Area next year..?

This will cover everything from flipping to development, the economy to marketing and wholesaling, multifamily to mobile home parks, development projects, note investing, vacation and furnished rentals, and everything in between..

Some attendees from last time included @Johnson H , @Account Closed ..

Can you share your experience? (and tag a friend?) And can you make it back this time?!?

So whether you’re in the Bay Area: San Francisco , Oakland , Berkeley , Alameda County , Contra Costa County , Solano County , Richmond, Marin, Santa Rosa, Walnut Creek , Fremont , Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Redwood City, Hayward, Milpitas, Santa Cruz, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Salinas

Socal:
Los Angeles, Hollywood, Long Beach, Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Woodland Hills, Santa Monica, Oxnard, Calabasas, Culver City, Inglewood, Marina Del Ray, Redondo Beach, San Diego

..or up in Northern California..

Sacramento, Yuba City, Woodland, Davis, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Arden, Clarksburg, Davis, Rocklin, Roseville, Folsom, Fair Oaks, Gold River, Rosemont, Vineyard, Vacaville, El Dorado Hills, Auburn, Tahoe, Chico

..inland..
Modesto, Stockton, Fresno, Bakersfield, Visalia, Lancaster,

We also had some folks from New ork City, Austin, Dallas,

Timing, history taking risks, executing on plan, finding a niche, and keeping an open mind..
@Account Closed

“J, You dedicated the time to study history. Your timing was good. Most importantly, you took the risks and found a niche along the way. You came up with a plan and executed it.

You have an open mind and are willing to listen. People make fun of you when you present the data. This reminds me of the saying "The thing about smart people is they sound like crazy people to stupid people."

Your result speaks for itself. You were willing to make sacrifices and created a life you want. Others spend their time living the life they don't want while building other people's dreams. You understand the success doesn't come to you; you have to go to it. Welcome to the flip-flop and sleep-in life. CONGRATS!”

THANKS SO MUCH MINH! :) I still remember when we were talking on the phone on Thanksgiving Day 2014, talking about wanting to quit the W2 for real estate, and it not quite being the time. Things have come a long way since then ;) I still need to shut up and listen more, but I’m getting better! I did make a lot of sacrifices (and still do), but now is the time to start reaping the fruits of those sacrifices, while I continue building my business. Thanks for giving it a shot in San Jose too. And again, your mentorship and friendship has meant a lot :)

I don’t worry about trying to convince people how valuable historical data is any more. I noticed that most that yell about how useless (or harmful) looking at historical data is are still working a W2. So like @Aaron Mazzrillo said, I’m not going to shout at all the people who don’t care – but I’m happy to share it with those who do.. They can post that from their desk all day while I am traveling around hahahhahhaa

Persistence, pushing through the Naysayers, Due Diligence, and Leverage

@Johnson H.,
“@J. MartinCongrats on your achievement! I think your passion, persistence and out going personality puts you at a level above and beyond many investors here on BP. It's not easy doing what you did in when you first had the Richmond fourplex. I'm sure you encountered many naysayers but you found yourself a niche and exploited it. You've spent a lot of time doing due diligence as well, which many others here don't see, and not just time in front of the computer but boots on the ground which many don't/won't do. Just promise me you'll watch your leverage and come back to the bay when you can!

Have a great time traveling J, you'll love it, get those credit card hotel and airline bonuses, they have gone a long way for me in traveling on the cheap!”

Johnson, the man who introduced me to BP, and buying when I was still trying to get an offer accepted.. It really was inspiring seeing someone my age, in my position, doing exactly what I planned on doing. Don’t think I’d be in the same place if I didn’t meet you! Thanks so much!! And yes, a lot of time was spent on due diligence! Especially driving, walking, and talking on the streets! As I looked at the info posted above, I was purchasing all my 2-4 units in Richmond and Oakland at $120/sq ft or below, even in West Oakland in late 2004. And they all produce great cash flow (except the last that appraised at about 60% more in 18mo and did cash out.)  People told me I was crazy at the time, but I think the results speak for themselves ;) With that kind of cash flow, I think it would have been a good risk-adjusted bet either way, even without this fantastic appreciation ;)

I am keeping an eye on my leverage.. I’m watching it rise after these cash-outs!! Lol Seriously though, I have good cash flow coverage and the increased rents since I bought (even unfurnished) are in line with the increased leverage. Importantly though, I have significantly increased my liquidity, so feel even safer, even with more leverage. You can pay 30yr fixed rate loans for a long time with liquidity ;) And yes, I will definitely be hustling those points! Still have quite a few from work days :) Thanks for introducing me to the “game” Johnson!!! So are you still looking for a deal now? Or just waiting until things soften..? Btw, you know Roberto lives in Fairfield, and has his laundromat there, right? Have him give you a tour some time!

Meetups can lead you to amazing places!! And new adventures..
@David C,
I didn’t know I was the first to reach out to you from BP. Then Minh, Johnson.. It’s amazing how things can evolve from the people you meet! Look what you are up to now. That’s why I really like meetups too. You never know where the ideas and connections will take you.. Wishing you guys the best of luck! Looks busy so far! :) Are you going to come back when the numbers look better and/or less competition?

Life is Short! Retirement. Livin' the Life..
@Amit M.,
“Life is short. Act on your goals and desires. cheers.”
That’s what I’m saying!!! :) I agree, I think it will fit my lifestyle better. Congrats on your wife’s upcoming retirement. Now you’ll have more opportunities to travel and spend money ;) hahahahahha Enjoy it! I was just looking for an inexpensive convertible as a thought for my cross-country trip lol Gotta live a little right!?? We’ll see if I go that route..

@Jeff Pollack,
“Congrats again@J. Martin! It is always great to hear inspiring tales from folks. It is something we all need. Always great to read your posts and chat with you. Thanks for the insights on that Oakland property. I saw it Thursday. Super light rehab and expect to be under contract this week.”

Thanks Jeff! Always happy to share my 2 cents on Oakland :) Congrats on getting this property tied up! I probably would have made you an offer on it if it were more suited as a rental, but I’m sure it will work out as a quick whole-tail. Call me if you get any rentals or in-place tenants where you can’t flip! (Have anything else now? I think I forgot to ask you the other day when we were chatting on the phone.)

Spreading the Love; Silver Bars

@Abhay K.,
“Congrats J. Your passionate data-oriented approach to RE is both inspiring and infectious. You are very approachable and giving. You deserve this success. World needs humble down to earth role modwls like you. I will always remember the silver brick at SJ meetup, memorable indeed. :) “

Very kind of you Abhay :) Much appreciated. I always thought I was a little loud-mouth and arrogant, but glad not everyone thinks that! Lol Since none of you brought me a deal, I ended up giving that silver brick to my handyman as part of his year-end bonus!! He loved it! :)

@Alnie F.
“@J. MartinCongrats again, you have been an amazing mentor and a major inspiration. Enjoy the whiskey and the travels! Keep us posted what you're up to. Are you keeping a travel journal or blog?”

Happy to help out Alnie :) Glad you could make it out to my retirement party, and thanks again for the whiskey!!! :) I’m going to enjoy it! Hope your first tenant turns out awesome! So what are you up to next? Relax and collect the rent? Search for the next one..?

@Erin A.,
“Sending you many congratulations, J! How awesome! You've worked hard for this and deserve every moment of freedom. Enjoy! We need to connect soon -- a lot has changed on my end and I'd love to bring you up to speed.”
Where have you been Erin?!? (The Far East bay still? Aka Stockton hahahaha) I kid. Yes, let’s catch up! Hope all is going well. And never heard what happened with your craftsman.. Do you have a post on it?

@Ryan Landis
Sounds like England? A great excuse to not be at the meetups earlier! Lol Not going to meetups earlier is actually one of my biggest regrets. But you live and you learn! Keep it up!

@Radhika M.
Thanks Radhika! Why don’t I see you at more of the meetups? You don’t want to chat with us?!

@Comfort S.  l and @Steven Palmer
Welcome to your first day of BP, and yes, it can be done! I recommend getting active posting on the forums, asking questions, and go to a local meetup in person!!

@Sebastian Bedoya , @Michael Nakh, @Milad K, @Glenn McCrorey, @Carl Tides, @Bhezwike,@James Thiel, @April Benard , 

Thanks for the shoutouts!! What are you all doing to work on retirement..? 

@David C.undefined

@Kyle J.,

“I still remember when I met you at that small meetup in Stockton a few years ago. It definitely seemed like you were on your way even then, and you've come a long way since. Coincidentally, I actually retired myself last month, and have been enjoying traveling too. (Just recently got back from Costa Rica. It was awesome!).”

MEETUPS ROCK!!
Thanks Kyle! And congrats on your retirement also!! Yes, I was doing meetups wherever I was working at the time, just to see what was going on in different areas, and what people were up to.. I’ve had meetups in Stockton, Salinas (hey @Rob Henriquez!), Santa Rosa.. Actually, the first time I scheduled a meetup in Santa Rosa, I met @Brian Burke and @Adam Menconi , and had no idea who either of them were. I hadn’t heard Brian’s podcast and didn’t know what a big investor he was at the time. But he ended up being kind enough to be my headline speaker at the Summit over a year later. You never know who you will run into or what you will learn at meetups!

I host a meetup in San Francisco almost every month, and have done quite a few on-site meetups at my properties also. I also go to @Johnson H. meetup in San Jose almost every month. Through these venues, I have made new friends, partners, lenders and borrowers, bought a property, done master leases, basically built my whole business. So I can’t say enough good things about going to meetups, and hosting them yourself if no one is taking charge. Hopefully you and @Erin A. are keeping in touch about the Stockton market. Are things pretty hot out there? Rents going up? They were so low per unit last time I was looking out there. I decided to just stick with Richmond.

@Jason McLendon
“Ready to run through a brick wall now!!!”

Look before you leap, but happy to provide some inspiration ;) How are you going to get to your goal?

@Tara Parker
“3 years.. Inspirational!! My target is the same. I intend to purchase my 1st property within the next 30 days.”

I was fortunate to get in at a great part of the cycle, and get explosive growth. Not the case any more. I don’t necessarily recommend that someone new try to execute on buying enough properties in a short amount of time to be able to retire – especially if you are investing out of state. When you get to the point you need to be, you will be ready.. Good luck! And due diligence on your team(s) out of state!!

@Janet Voss
Al does more of his own website, but I have a ton of reviews on Airbnb, and I think it is just so easy and convenient to funnel tenants or potential leads. For long-term furnished also. And they just have a ton of volume. Glad it helped out. Also using VRBO/Homeaway, and going to start using some more advertising sites, now that I will be hiring an assistant.

Your trip sounds great! I love experiencing unique festivals/events when I’m traveling (and locally), and it’s extra cool that you helped build the piece for the Maker Faire! :) I’ve heard a lot of great things about Singapore. Although I am trying to travel in the “cheaper” countries, which is why I was going to start internationally with SE Asia. I took a nice trip through Western Europe in 2014, but even living in hostels is more expensive than living nicely in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia.. I’ll be taking a trip to the Philippines with a good friend of mine from there, and Arlen better be there too!! Any SE Asia recommendations Janet? Festivals? Events?

@Elizabeth Colegrove
Ya, I'm so excited! Been a while in the making.. Have you moved yet? I was looking at someone to help out with the properties, but I decided to hire a full-time VA in the Philippines to help me out with my properties, and a few other projects.. crazy idea?

@Jonna Weber
I will definitely get ahold of you if I am going to make it through Idaho! I’ve seen some cool pictures of the outdoors, so may just have to come experience it!! What’s your favorite outdoor spot in Idaho right now?

@Julia 
Thanks, and glad you can make it out to the meetup on Thursday, Apr 7.

@Arlen Chou ,
“@J. Martinthe Kool-Aid has been great and you know I have been two fisting since you got me hooked! I admire your ability to reach your goal at such a young age! I am really happy to hear that you will keep working theREI angle while you are traveling. When we meet up in Asia, the first bucket of beer is on me!”

Appreciate it Arlen, especially coming from you!! I know you think I should always be working instead of just traveling, so glad I didn’t disappoint you too much! ;) Gotta relax a little too, right? I’ll take that last statement about the bucket of beer as an RSVP to the Philippines trip!!! Roberto and the two of us are going to have a great time! I invited Ben Shapero too, but I don’t know if he can get a hall pass… Really looking forward to it!! :)

@Sean Jones, @Darius , @Bevla Reeves, @Colin Murphy, @Joshua , thanks for the shout outs! It’s been a wild ride, but totally worth it ;)

@Kyle J.undefined

@Julia Latreille-Favre undefined

@Darius Falahkhirundefined

@Joshua D.undefined

@Tara Parker, I’ve been looking at real estate since 2009, but bought my first property on New Years’ Eve 2012. Not too shabby, eh? But really pushed my chips in during the crisis. A lot of it is about timing, in addition to finding a good deal, IMHO. How long are you planning before retirement

@Andrew Davis,
“You just wrote a playbook for so many who are after financial freedom. While I do work myself, I'm still in the S box of the cash flow quadrant, but am regularly inspired by you and pretty much everyone you mentioned to continue on the path towards passive income and true financial freedom.”

Really appreciate it Andrew! A lot of BP folks have inspired me, and glad I could inspire a few others ;) I don't even know where Winter park is! But I was thinking about checking out Miami, and maybe Tallahassee (I know, totally different..). Where are the best places to go in Florida? Not just lounging on the beach or going to clubs. But maybe something different..? 

@Jonna Weber
Been a while! How are you? Thanks! I’m thrilled too! :)
How is the market out there? Things just won't stop here! Wondering if I should sell next year if it keeps going this way.. I was going to stop at a few national parks and forests also. Some good nature places to check out in Idaho..? 

@Janet Voss
“ You've already been a help to me, and we've barely met, but I have my first travel nurse (booked through Airbnb) moving in at 5:30 pm today… I know you've already got a lot of travel planned, but my friend and I are headed to Italy (and then on the France for me) at the end of June and first bit of July. You're welcome to tag along.”

So nice of you to say Janet!! :) Glad I can help out, and some of that travel nurse inspiration comes from Al Williamson. Appreciate the Italy invite!! I think I’m going to SE Asia before going back to Western Europe, but have a blast! I love everything in Italy!! :) What cities are you going to? I like Naples. A little grittier ;) Nice to another Oakland er on the map too!

@Ryan Landis
Are you looking in San Mateo much? Or up in the East Bay? When I was just peaking into the prices down from S SF down to Redwood City, Mountain View, Los Altos, etc, just for sh*ts and giggles, WOW! I still like the East bay for that reason. Sorry couldn’t chat with you more before I’m getting less active. You came in to our group a little late!! Where ya been!? hahaha Keep going to @Johnson H. 's meetups, and keep your eye on the cycle!! 

@Elizabeth Colegrove , I finally did it!! :)

And...

I FINALLY QUIT MY JOB THIS WEEK!!!
It has been a long time coming... :)
See the link below..

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/223/topics/29...

"Life wasn't meant to be lived in a cubicle." :)