Susan Melcher

I'm a newbie investor. When I was getting divorced I bought a small house despite everyone saying that I shouldn't do anything like that while my life was in transition. But I ran the numbers and it was cheaper for me to pay a mortgage than to pay the rent in my areas, so I hustled and purchased. Fast-forward 5 years. That property is now my first rental and has appreciated at least 60% by conservative estimates, and I have a wonderful love of my life who I live with (I chip in for expenses, but I don't pay rent because I'm not getting any of the investment back and honestly he doesn't need me too - don't feel bad for him, he gets home cooked meals every day and I clean the toilets!). Now I'm looking to learn how to leverage that initial property into additional investments in the Inland Empire and Temecula/Hemet valley areas of California.