I am 22 Years Old and am Committed to Investing in my First Property

[Shez Iqbal]

Hey guys, I am a 22 year old college grad currently living in Seattle WA. I have been blessed with a great job out of college (Software Engineering) and am making 120k/year. Been working for 1 full year. I understand the situation I am in is quite lucky, I want to utilize it further to build stable wealth for my family. I recently have been looking for side hustles to do after my 9-5 to make some more money so I can afford to provide for my family and still save for the future. A few weeks ago I came across bigger pockets and Real-Estate jumped out at me. It has been what I have been looking for. I have finished “The Multifamily Millionaire” by Brandon Turner (about to start re-reading to take in depth notes) and religiously listen to all Bigger Pockets content (taking notes for each interview and rewatching 2x at least). I also look at properties in Houston (my hometown) and Seattle and underwrite properties for practice. I have around 40k left in student loans and 20k saved up. 

Working hard is no problem for me, and I can easily live frugally. I’m young so I do have that overconfidence that I can do almost anything and that burning passion to succeed. Current plan is to save up/pay off loans for the next year so I have 2 years on W2s for loans + a good down payment saved, and then buy a multifamily property in Houston. In the meantime I want to research and reach out to property owners in my area to expand my network and cultivate meaningful relationships. 

I have a few questions… 

1) What other tactics should I add to my arsenal to gain more Real-Estate investing knowledge?

2) Should I be looking at Houston for my first property or Seattle?

3) Can I purchase earlier? I would like to start as soon as I can but am not sure since I have loans + minimal knowledge

4) I would like to find a turnkey, but have no problem doing some rehabbing, any advice?

Excited to join this group!