Ambitious newbie intro and looking for advice and motivation

[Ryan Shafer]

Hello All, 

First off, an intro. My name is Ryan Shafer I am 42 years old married with 4 children. I am a full time Firefighter/Paramedic and I also own a masonry and concrete company for about 15 years. Prior to that I worked for my grandfather and uncle since I was 15 years old. I have worked two jobs all my life even through college and training to be a FF. I run a small but successful business that operates only on word of mouth. This trade has done a number on my body physically and I need to start thinking of my future and supporting my hopes and dreams. I would love to help my kids out (vehicles, college, weddings and etc.), do more travelling (vacations). All while doing this, I would love to develop an impressive successful invest property portfolio for future long-term wealth (NOT get rich quick).

My grandfather (who originally owned the masonry company) was also a fireman at one time he owned 26 properties which later down the road sold half to his son and the others to my dad. I used to help my dad work on these properties and turn them over. It really seemed like a good deal, and I saw a lot of potential. He then did some things that I didn't think were right (which I'd rather not discuss) and eventually what he built had failed. He eventually sold the properties and came out ahead still. A little bit later I was presented two cheap properties that I was able to pay cash for. The one property I never rented and was never able to get fixed up due the bad neighborhood, squatters and vandals. I ended up giving that away. The other house was also in a less than desirable neighborhood I was able to rent and after two years to make a long story short, I was unsuccessful for many reasons. I was discouraged by many people on getting into investment property, but I have always had a calling and passion for doing it, despite my downfalls.  Couple years ago, I was approached by a good friend of mine who was very interested in investment properties. He is also a firefighter and has some guys that he works with that are pretty established in real estate giving him advice. He asked me if I wanted to partner with him on a property and I said sure! We ended up finding a foreclosure in the city we live in, which is a much nicer area than where I had experience in. I eventually paid him the down payment less the rehabbing which I took care of. We did everything right and because of his research and knowledge this property is a very successful cash flowing property. Now I'm hooked! He continued to educate himself while I just kept doing what I've been doing, which is work myself to death. Until recently he turned me on to the Bigger Pockets podcast and now, I am as motivated and dedicated as ever! I want to continue my current work ethic and apply what I can into real estate. I am currently in the process of taking over two of my moms' properties that she can't handle anymore which will put me at 3 homes. One is rented and the other I'm in the middle of rehabbing (which based on info gathered from this podcast) will be a very successful, cash flowing property! My goal is help people get into a nice home with a landlord they can count on, improve the neighborhood and generate long term wealth for my family and to supplement my pension from the Fire Dept, As a start! I'm going end this post here because of the length and I hope someone likes my story and can maybe start to point me in the right direction. I'm going to post again to continue. It's a privilege to be a part of the Bigger Pockets family and I look forward to what I can do with all of your help! I'm hoping that someday be one of the success stories and help others with their dreams. Feedback on this post would be great and thank you in advance for any feedback you can offer!