All Forum Posts by: JC Foumena

@Joe Splitrock: It could be Austin, but again you have to look seriously at Amazon requirements for his second headquarters. Austin Real Estate is expensive at this point and will become really expensive if Amazon decides to have its second headquarters in the city. Everything looks ripe for Austin to have it but the default mode of transportation in Texas is still the car and Austin seems to be isolated from other TX major cities. My understanding is that Texas is not known as a state that promote LGBTQ rights so it will be hard to convince Bezos to adopt the city if the state is still very conservative about this issue. IMHO, I could see Austin as a finalist but not the winner due to the few reasons I presented. I would love to know if we could create surveys on Biggerpockets to get investor's perspectives on the winning city.

@Account Closed If you look closely at the list of cities, there are plenty that are blue cities in red states( Atlanta, Raleigh, Miami, Dallas, Austin) and the rest are blue cities in blue states. Miami does not have the skilled labor force or a well known university that can produce local tech talent that Amazon is looking for. I doubt Miami is going to make the next list. I am very intrigued with Indianapolis and Columbus, OH as well. My money is still on Pittsburgh to win it all.

My prediction is Pittsburgh, PA.

The city fulfills every the Amazon requirements for the second headquarters and has the skilled labor force required by Amazon. The social and cultural scene is great. The population is very diverse(ethnically, culturally, and socially). Amazing NFL and NHL franchises. Pittsburgh is a blue city with affordable real estate. It  is served by major interstates and expressways. It is near major cities in several states(cities that are 250 miles or less of Pittsburg: Cleveland, OH,  Columbus, OH, Baltimore, MD, Washington DC, Buffalo, NY). Good international airport that has multiple nonstop flights to various major cities( Seattle is not yet included but surely will be if Amazon picks the city). Numerous tech companies are already installed in the city, including Uber. Carnegie Mellon University is one of the premier universities with one of the top global robotics university departments. Investors are already buying multifamily houses and apartments at a rapid pace. Finally, Jeff Bezos has always been a trailblazer, he wants a place that he is not going to share with other Tech companies(Microsoft in Seattle) . Believe it or not, Pittsburgh, PA has it ALL. 

Even if Amazon does not select this city, it is poised for tremendous growth in the next two decades.

I, myself would love to invest there so I am looking to chat/meet with people interested in investing in Pittsburgh before Amazon releases the winning city.  

Cheers,

Thank you @Michael S.!!

Hi everyone, 

My name is JC Foumena and I am a novice real estate investor from Hartford,CT.  I have a keen interest in wealth creation and management and am passionate about investing at the macroeconomic and microeconomics level. My interest in real estate investing stems from the fact that I want to be financially secure and provide for my family now and for the distant future. I think that real estate really provides an unique way to develop long term wealth if done correctly. I currently have a full-time job with an insurance company around Hartford, CT and am eager to soak as much knowledge as I can before making my first deal. I joined bigger pockets this month and am looking to expand my knowledge for a year. I have been using the amazing learning resources that are available on bigger pockets. (I started listening to the podcast. It is amazingly goood!!) 

My short-term goal is to buy my first investment property by June 2018. 

During the next 12 months, I want to :

expand my REI knowledge,

meet and discuss with  local and online real estate deal makers,

create my real estate team(RE agent, property manager, accountant, attorney)

get my real estate license( I am not sure if I should start the process of getting my license now or hire a real estate agent for my first deal or do both)  

get my personal finance in order 

set up a business plan

What to do you guys think about this plan?

With my limited knowledge and the fact that I am working full-time, I am mostly interested in investing in small multifamily rental properties(2-4 units) in CT, MA, and RI.  As I get more experienced, I would like to consider other investing venues such as private lending opportunities, investing in rental properties abroad, investing in historic homes. I also want to learn and participate in syndication if the opportunity arises. 

I apologize for making a long post but I am sure that it provides a thorough view on my short-term and long-term aspirations and goals. My mantra is to add value in anything that I do.I am very happy to be part of the BiggerPockets family and look forward to discuss with like-minded people. 

Please feel free to add my as a colleague or shoot me a message if you can. 

Random Fact: I speak fluently French and Spanish.