My First Bigger Pockets Post! Tell Me More About Massachusetts

[Joseph Cammarata]

Hello! I'm Joey and this is my first post on the forums. Been binging the BP podcast on my rides to work each morning and just finished my notes on The Book on Rental Property Investing. 

Here's a little bit about me: I'm going into my senior year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and majoring in Psychology while minoring in business at the Isenberg School of Management. I'm a the treasurer for the Psychology Honors society, a teaching assistant for Abnormal Psychology, and a substitute teacher/after school tutor at a nearby high school. Down the line, I hope to obtain my Masters in Social Work. I also enjoy basketball, lifting weights, and reading. 

My Question: One of my newest passions is real estate, and I'd like to do whatever I can to put others and myself in a position to succeed. I've started by practicing analyzing properties in my area (central mass) on my own. I'm about to put together my own excel spreadsheet with the most important criteria for analyzing properties. There are some expenses I've been trying to calculate (like property management, repairs, capex) that I'm not exactly sure are the same in Massachusetts as in other places. I'd love to hear what everyone has to offer in terms of their process on evaluating properties (I've also only been looking on Zillow). What are the most important things you look for in our market?

I'm looking to close in on my first deal sometime next year as I transition to graduate school and keep it rolling from there. Wish me luck and let me know what you guys think.

-Joey