New Member from Austin

[Doug Sheridan]

Greetings BP'ers! - 'Full disclosure I have been listening to the pod casts and learning from the site for a few months, but wanted to officially say hello. I really want to thank @Joshua Dorkin for a terrific product, and all the experts who've been willing to share their knowledge in their respective disciplines on the podcasts. I've listened to them all.

It's great to see Austin is well represented here on BP, befitting our reputation as a technology town. I've lived here since 1987 and actually moved here for the quality of life, and lo and behold it blew up around me! I've seen Austin through several business cycles, and it looks like we've finally made the big time.

I began researching Austin RE as an investment play this most recent go round in early 2010 when the sky was still falling on RE. Well before everybody was preaching Austin's virtues, I saw hammers firsthand swinging throughout downtown and close-in Austin and I began running numbers to see what kind of return could be had by combining low interest rates, high demand, and a market being driven by diverse levers at both the local and state level.

Some of the questions I researched were:

• What areas of town and price points were most effected by the downturn?
• How did Austin react during the downturn compared to other major metros?
• How did Austin react to the expiration of the Homebuyers Credit in 2010?
• What strategies make the most sense in this market?

As an entrepreneur I've raised capital and learned the ropes of Reg. D., business planning, and market research, and as a Program Manager I love to do Project Management and Product Marketing. I'm interested in infill development doing "build and sell" and ultimately a mixed fund of "build and sell" and "build and rent" . 'Possibly syndication down the road?

Cheers