All Forum Posts by: Robert Swiss

Hey Everyone,

I have a year left of college and want to spend my summer learning as much as I can about real estate. I want to hit the ground running as soon as I graduate, so I'm looking to learn as much as I can before then. I'm thinking about moving to a hot market such as Boise or Austin for the summer and networking with investors in the area. Ideally, I would find part-time work with a contractor or investor. Any advice for finding a mentor/apprenticeship like this? What would be the best way to learn about the indsustry while making enough to feed myself for a summer?

Hi Everyone,

I'm about to graduate college and looking to jump-start my professional career with a well-placed real estate investment, most likely a house-hack. The idea is to live in an up-and-coming market for a few years while I work (energy engineering/flight instructor) and use my investment to supplement my entry-level income and accelerate my financial goals. 

I've mainly been looking at the markets of Austin, Seattle, and Anchorage as they are all good professional fits for me, and I've compiled what seems to be the general consensus on bigger pockets below:

Seattle: Equity Play, Very Hard to Cashflow, Very Uncertain Appreciation

Austin: Equity/Appreciation Play, Hard to Cashflow, Some Appreciation likely but Huge Growth Unlikely

Anchorage: Equity/Cashflow Play, Regular Cashflow, Uncertain future with Slight Depreciation Possible

There are many who say that it is critical to gain equity in highly desirable areas early in your career, and that cashflow will always follow net worth.

Then there are those that say that Cashflow is all that matters, especially early in your career when your income may be <50k. 

My question is, as a young person with relatively low income who is using real estate to establish financial security, would you consider markets with no cashflow just to establish equity, or would regular cashflow be the best way to multiply my real estate portfolio?

Best, Rob