New member in Santa Cruz, California

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Hello the Internets!

My name is Dan and I have lived in the United States for about 4 years. I have recently made my first US real estate purchase in Santa Cruz. I found Bigger Pockets through the podcast that I started listening to while I was looking for my first US property. I was amazed by the calibre of the guests and quality of the show and decided to join the community.

Before taking the plunge into real estate I read several books to educate myself on the nuts and bolts of mortgages, contracts, etc. I got a great foundation for going out and getting a loan, browsing the market and buying a house, but nothing I had seen shed any light on investing.

I continued to listen to the podcast as I began my search, and it became clear to me that my idea of investment was very different to what an investor would call an investment. However, I decided to stick to my pre-BP goals for my first purchase because lifestyle and conservatism were important to me. I eventually purchased a triplex which lets me cover the mortgage so that I can save for the next property, but nothing extra for expenses, maintenance or cash flow. I will go over the details in a future post.

I am here to engage with the community and learn so that I am prepared to make my next purchase a great one. I'd love someone else in a similar situation to drop me a line.

I aim to build a portfolio of income generating properties until I have enough passive income to retire and travel. I am still refining my goals into a crisp, actionable plan by starting at the end and working my way backwards.