Newbie from Birmingham, Alabama

[Skylar Mays]

Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen!
My name is Skylar Mays and I recently joined BP after finding the podcast in my efforts to further my education into Real Estate Investing!
I'm 24 years old, married with 2 wonderful little girls and am currently working in the maintenance department of some condos atop Red Mountain. Previously I worked in HVAC for 2 years and that's how I eventually ended up working at these condos through connections. I have experience with HVAC, general Remodeling and Renovation of houses, electrical and plumbing basics and general handyman work.
All the way up to this point in life I feel like everything is pointing me in the direction of Real Estate Investing. I have friends and family that dabble in the art so I think in the future I will have partners to work with but I want to be able to say that I've done Investments on my own. Not just to brag or anything, but to know and have experienced the ups and downs myself.
Right now I'm focusing on my education and networking. I am diligently seeking the knowledge I need to get started and talking to as many people as I can for sources of that. I'm up for helping anyone out in my area as well so I can get different insights and maybe even form relationships from that which can help me further my aspirations and desires.
I greatly appreciate what BP does and continues to do and I look forward to meeting new people 

[Clayton Mobley]

@Skylar Mays Welcome to BP! Your first step will be to determine what type of REI niche suits you best with regard to your finances, time availability, risk tolerance, and goals. You'll also need to consider what level of control you need to feel over the day-to-day of an investment in order to feel secure. If you and your spouse both work full time, or you have other demands on your time in addition to family, some REI niches may not be a good fit for now. Similarly, if you either need or want to have a lot of hands-on control, that further narrows your focus.

You're already doing the right thing, read up, ask questions. If you see someone on a forum that has knowledge about a niche or market you're interested in, send them a PM and ask to pick their brain. But knowing your own goals and needs, and discussing them with your spouse to ensure you're on the same page, is goal #1. 

If you haven't already, I encourage you to set up your keyword alerts thoughtfully. Add alerts for the niches and markets you're interested in, but don't forget alternate spellings or abbreviations (so, for example, "turnkey" "turn-key" "TK" "turn key", or "Alabama" "Birmingham, AL" "Birmingham, Alabama"  maybe even "BHAM"). I also recommend setting a couple really specific alerts so you know when someone is talking about the holy grail of the niche and market (and/or other topics) that you're interested in. So, if you're wanting to learn about 1031 exchanges in turnkey in Birmingham, do "1031" "turnkey" "Birmingham, AL" AND "1031, turnkey, Birmingham, AL". You get the picture ;)

You'll find most people here are happy to help newbies and share information whenever they can, so use this resource for all it's worth! If you do have any questions about how turnkey works or the opportunities you have in your local market, feel free to shoot me a note any time. 

Best of luck!

Clayton