New to investing in Tacoma WA

[Morgan Blackmore]

In July of 2008 my wife and I returned from over three years of living and teaching in Bangkok Thailand. Using the $30k that we had saved during that time I got certified with CrossFit and opened the first affiliate in Tacoma, CrossFit Tacoma. As one member/friend described it, I was able to build a business with little more than a smile and an empty room. I don't know that it was quite that simple, but in essence it's true.

I had no budget apart from what was in my bank account, no experience either as a trainer or business owner, getting started in luxury industry (a relatively obscure one at the time) at the cusp of the Great Recession. If I had paid attention to the odds, I would have never slept.

Now, over five years on, we've got 350+ members, are one of the largest CrossFit gyms in the state, and every day I get to be around some of the greatest people in my community. I've also developed a set of organizational and business skills that give me the confidence to move beyond running a gym.

So it's time to start pursuing what has been another goal of mine: property ownership.

I intend to start with small single and multi-family buy-and-hold while I build equity, experience, confidence, and contacts. After that, I would like to get into apartments and commercial properties. Apartments because the same logic for small multi-family properties applies in even greater force: more sources of income per property. And I think that there are fewer competitors in the apartments market. Commercial properties for the same reasons. As a business owner I've negotiated several commercial leases, and I want to get on the other side of that equation.

I dream of owning property in Mexico too, but that's too far off right now for me to contemplate seriously. :)

And that's that for my introduction. Thanks for taking the time to read through a bit of my story. I hope to meet and develop business relationships here in BP. I welcome any and all feedback.