Starting fresh at 23 with no background

[Aaron Dranoff]

Hey Everyone,

I'm starting out super fresh, I wanted to introduce myself right away so I don't get caught up going down the wrong rabbit holes. I'm not an investor yet, but I want to be working on my first deal by the end of 2021. I'm in San Marcos Texas. Right now I just started my first real Job as a high school teacher. My real estate goal is to be able to retire in 2026 to do real estate full time. I want to have 5 houses by July 2026 because I want to have the freedom to choose how I spend my time. I think home Rental options make the most sense for me right now. 

My biggest concern is I already have a good deal of debt from college, about 100k, is that something I should get rid of before investing? I figured real estate investing requires borrowing anyway, so having loans already wouldn't really be a bad idea.

Right now I'm trying to firehose as much information as I can, and I'd love some direction there. I'm trying to learn the terminology of the trade, figure out how to get a real estate agent. And the big one for me is how to get Rehab done as a beginner. It seems like for any beginner landlords, Rehab is unavoidable- am I wrong here? I have no construction experience and wouldn't know who to hire or delegate to for this. 

After that I'm planning on looking for houses in as little as 2 months, in the mean time I'll be looking into financing, FHA and bank financing is what I was told will be advantageous to me since I still have a job.

Anyway that's where I'm at guys, I'd love some feedback, criticism or direction. Thanks!

Aaron