Starting Out While Being in the Military

[Cody Summers]

Hi, my name is Cody and I'm currently wanting to get started in real estate investment. My fiancé and myself both bought our first home here in Clovis, NM and we're hoping to use it as a rental in the following years when we move again. I've been trying to gain as much information as I can on how to start with possibly buying another rental or two while I'm stationed here. My big question for anyone out there is how risky is real estate investing in regards to a security clearance. I've read up on how to start with little to no money down, but a lot of those options seem riskier. I know finance and legal issues can possibly affect a security clearance and so I want to start off easy so as to not hurt my current career. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Marcus Long]

Hey, Cody ~ 

I've been on active duty with security clearance for over 19 years and have owned rental properties for about 15 of those. In general, if you are starting out without any preexisting credit issues, make sound financial decisions and run your rental properties like a business, I don't think that you will experience any problems with your clearance. 

If you have any preexisting credit issues or make poor/risky investment decisions, that could be different. 

Bottom Line: If you are starting with a good credit foundation and make sound financial decisions it should not be a problem. There are a lot of active duty with clearances that invest in real estate. 

**This is not legal advice, but rather my own experience**

Cheers, 
Marcus