Christopher Bannister

Took me awhile to write this, was unsure how to word anything, but here we go... I'm currently a truck driver traveling coast-to-coast shipping goods across this beautiful country...literally "driving for dollars" lol. On average, I'm away from my family for 3-weeks at a time, home for 3-4 days, then right back at it again. Yes, its rewarding traveling state-to-state while getting paid to do so, but at the sacrifice of spending time with the family makes it far from worth it. While I'm driving cross country 11-hrs/day behind the wheel, I'm missing out on countless memories that really takes a toll on me, as well as my family, such as after school events, birthdays, weddings, and even major holidays. These are precious moments I can't get back and its time I take a stance and make a change. Which brings me to Real Estate... Why Real Estate?....I've been first introduced to real estate back in 2004 when I went to my first, AND ONLY, .....GET READY!!!.... "Guru Bootcamp" which was held at the Hilton on City Line Ave. in Philadelphia, PA called the "Trump Institute". While there, I've started to become extremely fascinated and intrigued with the flexibility, growth potential and profitability that Real Estate offered, especially with this fancy acronym they kept throwing around called "OPM", otherwise known as (other peoples money). By the end of that course, you couldn't tell me that I wasn't going to be rich and successful loaded with more money than I'd know what to do with...and for an additional $2500, they were going to show me exactly how its done. So what did I do upon leaving?, what anyone else would do, I scrambled and tried to raise the $2500 needed for the next course by asking family and friends, and in return, I was going to pay them back after my first deal was finalized. Well, needless to say, that didn't quite go as planned. At that point, every family member or friend I spoke with told me that real estate is a gimmick, huge waste of time, I could never succeed in such in endeavor, even tried to explain how poor of an investment it is. So with all the negative feedback I received from those who typically support me, I went back to reality and traded hours/labor for dollars. Since going back into the workforce, I've had the privileges' in working in several professions and trades, and throughout each one, Real Estate has always stayed in the back of my mind. One of the reasons is simply because I was curious about all I heard at the bootcamp...second, after doing some research, I learned more millionaires and billionaires got their start from real estate vs. any other entity...third, I've always been hellbent on proving that theory, just was always in paralysis on where to start...Last, once I became a father, I wanted to devote more of my time to my family and I knew that Real Estate would give me that option and still allow me to put food on the table. Becoming wealthy would be phenomenal, but I consider myself a very wealthy man every time I see my happy and healthy family that I've been blessed with, I just want to be able to physically be there for them while still being able to pay the bills and give them a wholesome life...If I can achieve that, I consider it a win!!! Knowing I have to get off this hamster wheel of life, I'm doing my best to maximize my time by educating myself. Considering I drive 11-hrs/day, I decided to purchase audiobooks to listen to while I drive. The first audiobook I purchased was called "The Audiobook on Investing in Real Estate with No (and low) Money Down" by Brandon Turner. That book has really great tips and tricks on using techniques and startegies to help get started, and since I can't take notes because I'm driving, I find myself listening to these books 3 to 4 times to make sure I didn't miss any valuable information. Welllllll....after listening to Brandon's book, I kept hearing him talk about this site called "Bigger Pockets" which I knew nothing about. To be honest, the only reason I chose to download the book was because I simply googled "best book for beginners investing in real estate" and then I narrowed it down by the best reviews and stars and here we are, then it was off to the races. Getting back on track, after hearing Brandon reference Bigger Pockets so much, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and downloaded the app. Shortly after downloading the app, I didn't really explore it or dig into it too much, not because I wasn't into it, it was that I found myself hooked to the Podcast that I also follow now. It was easier for me to get pulled into the podcast because I drive for a living, so its easier to listen to the podcast then to read all the posts and dig into the forums. But I must say, Bigger Pockets has been a game changer for my partner and I thus far. I've created an account and became active on the site which led me to some very helpful people who I can't thank enough. The thoughtfulness of individuals on here that take the time out to help you with the simplest things is un-paralleled!!! In Closing, I'd really like to thank BP for giving everyone this platform to network on, I think I'd still be in paralysis without it. With that said, I'm looking to build a team of individuals that are looking for the same goals as myself to network with. I don't need anyone who isn't determined, unwilling to face fears and failure, or afraid to get a little dirt under their nails. I'm going to succeed in this business no matter what it takes!!! I'm prepared for the let-downs, slammed doors, heartaches and headaches...I just need to know when you get knocked down, are you getting back up? if so...lets network and make dreams come true!!