New Member in St. Louis, Missouri

[Zach Gildehaus]

Hello, my name is Zach Gildehaus. My wife and I grew up just outside of St. Louis and now live there. We are new to the site and direct RE investment. Although, I have had exposure to RE in four distinct ways: from a regulatory perspective during my time with the FDIC, from an underwriting perspective as part of a CRE underwriting team at BofA, from a public markets persepctive in my current role as an investment analyst, and as a homeowner for the past seven years. I am also a CFA charterholder. While largely academic in nature, the ciriculum gave me exposure to several forms of alternative investing, including direct real estate.

As our careers have progressed, we are increasingly turning our focus to tax and long term wealth planning. I am very fond of reliable cash flow and somewhat enamored with the idea of achieving sustainable cash flow without significant erosion of capital, which is often the case with traditional investments. As an investment analyst, my employment, bonus, and retirement accounts are directly affected by the market. RE is a non-correlated asset class that could help with diversification and long-term wealth building. Plus, I just have an inherent interest in it.

I feel my prior experience gives me the requisite knowledge to analyze cash flow and market trends, but the specifics of a property with all it's nuances still gives me pause. I'm currently focusing on learning and networking as much as possible to make sure we don't blow ourselves up on our first property. 

One question I'd love to throw out there, especially for those in the StL market, how much time and capital does it take to get started? We'd probably dip our toe in with a small SFR and work our way up to bigger deals as our experience level increases. Also, what are some good resources I should be using as a prospective investor in this market - people I should talk to, groups I should join, publications I should read? Any pitfalls or "sharks" I should watch out for? Thanks in advance for any help!