All Forum Posts by: Tyler Flagg

@Chris Parker I don't think I'll have too much to contribute that hasn't already been covered...but I feel like I should definitely weigh in haha. 

I'm in the Air Force as well and have one semester left (thankfully) in a 48 credit hour MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship. Although I consider myself very lucky to have my education paid for by the military, if I could do it again I would choose something a bit less time consuming. I've been taking two classes every semester for the last 2.5 years, all while working full time, deploying half the year, and investing in real estate. Needless to say, it has been taxing lol

So to sum it all up....The courses that I found most beneficial to real estate were 'marketing', 'finance/accounting', and 'entrepreneurship'. However, do consider the amount of time the degree will take as well as what material you will cover. Had I done a 32 credit masters as opposed to 48, I could have saved about $2,000 and had a full extra year to dedicate towards real estate instead of homework. 

Hope this helps. Best of luck Chris, and feel free to send me a message if there is anything I can do to help.

@Austin Faux welcome to BP! I love your story and it's great to have you on the site. I'm an Air Force guy myself and just started investing back in April. This website has been absolutely amazing for answering all of my questions as well as providing me with daily motivation. I too was pretty inspired by Rich Dad Poor Dad, and it continues to be one of the books that I always recommend to people. Feel free to send me a message if there is anything I can do to help. Best of luck!

@William Basel I've haven't done a VA loan yet, however I plan on using the VA to purchase a live-in 3 or 4-plex when I move to my next duty station. So take what I say with a grain of salt since I have no practical experience...

When I eventually go through with this, my plan will be to purchase the most expensive 4-plex that I can while still putting 0% down using the VA loan. This way I'll likely get a better property, I'll require fewer repairs, I'll get better tenants, live in a better area, and be able to charge higher rents. Then (after a year or two) use the equity built up from rental income to refinance to a conventional loan and re-use the VA.

Obviously, the actual numbers will be the key determinant. If a cheaper property is the only thing that makes sense and will provide cash flow, then by all means do that. But to me (with all things equal) I just can't see the benefit in buying a 200k 4-plex @ 0% down, when I can buy a 400k 4-plex at 0% down. 

I'd love to hear other thoughts though...because I've been wondering about the same issue myself. 

@Ryan Jackson welcome to BP...and say hi to Bahrain for me! It seems like you're definitely on the right track in terms of figuring out short/long term goals as well as priorities. Although remote investing can be difficult, it is by now means impossible. I'm an Air Force guy myself and got started back in April. I purchased my first property right before being deployed (probably not the best idea i've ever had) and had to manage a renovation from afar. Even when I'm back at home in New Mexico, I invest in Oklahoma City about a 6hr drive away. So it can definitely be done...it just requires a bit more planning. 

Feel free to send me a message if there is anything I can do to help. Best of luck!

@Brentree Bearden welcome to BP! Congrats on taking the first step by joining the website and putting yourself out there. I'm an Air Force guy myself and started investing back in April...this community is worth its weight in gold, and has helped me a ton over the last year. 

An awesome resource that you have is the VA loan, and it's great for people who are interested in house-hacking as their first investment. I haven't used one yet, but I plan on buying a 4-plex with a VA loan whenever I move to my next base. If you want a little more info, I wrote a blog post on the topic a few months back

3 VA Loan House-Hacks for the Newbie Military Investor

I second the advice of @Trevor Ewen ...be sure to send a message to Elizabeth Colegrove. She is a military spouse as well, and has been doing an awesome job of setting her family up for retirement while her husband is out there blowing stuff up :-)

Feel free to send me a message if there is anything I can do to help. Best of luck!

@Cal C. thanks for the post. I haven't thought much about the subject...so I definitely appreciate you broadening my horizons. 

@Jimmy Gonzalez welcome to BP! I'm an Air Force guy myself and just got into the investing game back in April. It's been awesome so far and I can thank this website for that. Love the Jacksonville area (even though your Jags beat my Giants this year lol)...took a number of weekend trips there while I was stationed in Pensacola and had a blast. Feel free to send me a message if there is anything I can do to help. Best of luck!

@Tyrell Ferguson welcome to BP! Congrats on getting started, you've definitely come to the right place. I'm an Air Force guy myself and bought my first property back in April. Bigger Pockets is an amazing resource...so be sure to get yourself out there and you're guaranteed to reap the benefits. I don't invest in Baltimore, but feel free to send me a message if there is anything I can do to help. Best of luck!

@Roy McCuin welcome to BP brother! I'm an Air Force guy myself and finally pulled the proverbial trigger back in April thanks to the help of this website.

Much like you, I spent about 6 months reading and schooling myself on real estate before jumping in. I dove in head first in April...bought a property, fixed it up, and have had it rented for about 6 months now. I made a ton of mistakes (who knew that dead trees on the property was bad? lol) But it was all worth it. I just closed on 2 more properties on December 26th and vow to do a better job this time. 

Where are you in the process of getting this first property? Have you already closed?

Feel free to send me a message if there is anything I can do to help. Best of luck!

@Ben Vandorn welcome to BP! I was just up in your neck of the woods in August taking an RV trip around Alaska for a few weeks. Had an absolute blast and was blown away by how beautiful the state was. It seems like you're already well ahead of the game, but I'm sure that BP will still be able to help. Best of luck to you!