Hi all! My name is Ben and I am about a month into diving deep on real estate investing education. It's a whole new world to me and throughout the dozen books and hundred podcasts I've listened to so far I've waffled back and forth from feeling encouraged and excited to feeling like getting into the game in my area would be unattainable... and then back to being encouraged. I am a highly motivated individual, however, and I'm dedicated to getting into real estate investing. If you read all of this I'd really appreciate some candid feedback.

I live in Snohomish County, I'm a Navy Veteran, have a stable W-2 making about 80K/yr after taxes, and have a modest amount in savings. We all know how expensive the market is in the area and this presents a particular struggle for me as I can't just move to a cheaper area. My wife and I are tied to this area due to being in proximity to family and we currently enjoy a farming/hobby farm lifestyle that is a big part of our family culture. Our dream is to have a homestead with 1-2 acres. Leaving the area for the sake of real estate investing isn't in the cards for us. So, what to do?

I'm feeling most drawn to a buy and hold rental investing strategy and like the idea of the BRRRR strategy in tandem with VA loans, basically refinancing VA loan backed mortgages to conventional loans once there is 20% equity in the home. I also like the strategies outlined in Brandon Turner's "Rental Property Investing" book. The challenge again, is the prices around here. If I were investing in eastern WA, or where my extended family lives in Pennsylvania, those 100k houses in good condition are a real thing there. I have the "Bidding to Buy" book next on my reading list, following by David Greene's "Long Distance Real Estate Investing" book.

I know it's a balance of reality, values, and what makes one happy that guide our decisions. So, we need to make our dreams work here in western WA. Do we try to just buy a modest house through foreclosure or some other screamin' deal, house hack, then build up our portfolio from there? Apartments are the least ideal living situation for us, so what if we got stuck in a multifamily property we intended to just be in for a short time. How long do we put off our dream of having a homestead?

I hope this wasn't too much of a rant for a first post!

Seattle, Washington

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