Quote from @Melissa Justice:
@Justin Tallaksen,
Hey Justin,
Welcome to the community and it sounds like you’re bringing a really solid foundation to the table. Your background in finance will serve you extremely well as you dive into real estate investing. The fact that you’ve also seen the benefits of rental property firsthand through your father is a huge advantage—you already understand that it's not just about passive income, but about management, long-term thinking, and building wealth steadily.
Since you're familiar with analyzing risk and returns from traditional investments, transitioning to real estate can be as analytical as you're used to—cash flow, cap rate, CoCROI, equity growth—all of it maps well to your skill set. The main shift will be accounting for the physical and management aspects of real estate: property condition, tenant relationships, local regulations, etc.
Here’s a suggestion to get the ball rolling:
Start identifying your buy box—what type of property, in what kind of market, at what price range, and what return metrics you're targeting.
Explore turnkey and value-add rentals, especially in landlord-friendly markets in the Midwest or Southeast (if you're open to investing out of state).
Leverage your network—you may already have contacts in finance or real estate who can connect you with off-market deals, brokers, or investor-friendly lenders.
Once you’re ready to run numbers or evaluate a specific market, happy to walk through the process with you. Do you have a target market or type of property in mind yet?
Best,
Melissa
Melissa, thank you for the thoughtful post. These are excellent suggestions.
My "buy box", at least for now, is leaning towards SFH and duplexes in my local area that would need minimal work. I don't foresee many deals popping up in the next few months simply due to outrageous price to cost ratios, but I will start to analyze what the Northern Utah market offers in terms of equity growth, CoC returns, and expected cap rates.
I'm very interested in turnkey properties, at least to start. I keep seeing the Midwest pop up in here. I'll do some research.
Great idea about leveraging current networks! Unfortunately, I don't have any sort of network built-out here in Utah, however I do have some knowledgeable contacts back in Jersey. I will need to look into investment clubs or landlord gatherings out here and start meeting people!
My target market for now would be SFH or duplex class B properties in Northern Utah... this is subject to change as I learn more. From some preliminary research I don't believe it will be possible to find a cash flow positive property in this area at this time!
