Jared Brandon

Hey BiggerPockets! I'm Jared, an NEPA native (that's NorthEast PennsylvaniA). I'm the Director of Communications at a large church in the area. During the day I do things like marketing and advertising, graphic design, social media management, website development, etc. On nights and weekends I'm usually found helping my wife, a professional artist, run her business. I'm a proud dad to two Great Danes, Mac and Tuck. I'm also a hobby wood worker and musician. I found BiggerPockets through the podcast and have been quickly working up through the archives on my runs, commutes, or when I'm in the workshop. I'm working on my PA Real Estate license so I can get more familiar with the particulars about the right way to do business in this state. I'm an eager learner, and I'm pumped about my first deal! Experience: I have purchased only my primary residence. But I often have occasion to rub shoulders with people have done very well for themselves and one of the most common things I hear from them is that they got started in real estate. When my neighbor recently told me that he owns 23 properties, and just retired at 48, I realized that real estate is where I need to be. Since then it's been hours and hours of BP podcasts, reading, and talking to other people about it Real Estate Goals: I think my biggest goal is to be able to get my time back. I love my job, but the idea of 40 hrs a week, in a cubicle, for even 5 more years, let alone 40, scares me. I want to be well taken care of financially in my older years, I want to help my parents more effectively as they age, and I don't want a 9-5. At the same time, I want to apply myself to something that lets me be handy, and creative, and business minded all at the same time. Real estate fits the bill! Currently Seeking: I'm a total newbie. So I'm eager to learn the best way to set up a business, how to use the MLS, how to network better (I'm an introvert and so connecting with people tends to be tricky for me), and how to analyze deals.