Endless Possiblities: Is activist investor one of them?

[M Marie M.]

I just recently joined BP and started listening to the podcasts and have been reading BP blogs and forum discussions, learning a lot.

Before I joined and the reason I joined was I was thinking of investing, well buying and holding in the city north of mine, Baltimore. Unlike DC, I can buy something with money from my savings in Charm City. So my sole focus was buy and hold for cash that I had on hand. Then I start listening and reading and learning and all these possibilities that I had never considered before, such as looking in my own back yard, financing options, etc.

I also run (well, inherited and I'm keeping it on life support) a blog about vacant nuisance properties in DC. Before that I ran a popular neighborhood blog where I would occasionally talk about real estate and development in a transitional neighborhood. That was and is my neighborhood activism. 

So after about 2 weeks of BP, a thought enters my head, instead of just complaining about poorly kept and vacant buildings that are preventing a street or block from being its best, why not put my money (or other people's money) where my mouth is? I spoke to my husband about this and he asked where would my (our) investment do the most good? Don't get me wrong, I'd like to make some money too, but I want to help uplift a neighborhood as a landlady. He did ask a good question, something I'd have to research. I know NW and NE DC better than I do B'more, and I know what areas have the best chance of getting better. But Baltimore needs more people willing to give it a chance.

Anyway, I'm just thinking out-loud. But what do you think, mixing your activism with real estate?