New Member from Boston

[Ben Howard]

Hello,

I'm Ben Howard, live in Somerville near Boston, MA. I've owned a multi-family in Somerville for five years. I recently considered the possibility that I might not really know what I'm doing. Upon doing just the faintest amount of research, I found Bigger Pockets and discovered that I really don't have any idea what I'm doing.

I've been reading everything on this site. The beginner's guide is fantastic. The blog posts are gold. I wish I had found this site five years ago, or even 5 months ago. Fortunately, I found it, and just before I started looking for new tenants.

Despite my lack of knowledge, I've been lucky and have been living pretty close to rent free as my tenants have been there to pay the majority of my mortgage. But, while I've done okay in the past, I realize now how lucky I've been.

I'm here to learn. In the very near term, that's learning more about screening tenants, ensuring my lease and forms are in order, and generally making the most of my existing investment. In the short-term, I'd like to learn to properly evaluate deals, learn about financing/capital options, and purchase a second rental property (not necessarily in the Boston area). In the longer term, I want to gradually build a portfolio of income producing properties and learn what it takes to both make this happen as well as make it sustainable.

-Ben.