Newbie in Anchorage, Alaska

[Brian Braeutigam]

Hi everyone,

I am a newly started real estate investor. I first became interested in this business last year when a fellow real estate investing co-worker took it upon himself to educate me in all the benefits of owning investment properties. At the time I had a SFH, which had been my primary residence for 10 years, and I shared the deed with an ex who had not been in the picture for 9 of those years. I had been procrastinating the unloading of that property for a long time, but with my mentors gentle nudging and help I finally sold the house. I paid off the ex and used the balance of the proceeds to owner-occupy a four-plex in December 2013.

With the help of my beautiful and talented fiancé, Aimee, I have been learning the ropes of being a landlord. My biggest challenges have been getting the tenants used to my management style (much more rigid than the last owner), a nasty pest invasion and an immediate vacancy in the unit of a 6yr tenant who apparently had something against even basic cleaning. Even these experiences haven’t been horrible and they have allowed me to ‘jump right in’ and engage in a crash course of learning and learning about my building.

After only a few months of owning this building, Aimee and I have felt the benefits and decided to dedicate ourselves to the world of real estate investing. My goals are several. I will be involved in the process of turning some of my cities struggling neighborhoods back into quality areas wherein people can feel safe and happy to live. I will learn the world of real estate investing and pass along all the knowledge I can gather, as it has been passed to me, in order to provide others with the opportunities I have been afforded. Through passive income Aimee and I will be able to spend much more quality time with friends and family and the children we hope to have, and provide lasting wealth benefits for them as well.

I really appreciate the opportunity to join this community. I first encountered BP when I was searching for answers on how to screen my first tenants and the ideas and tips I read in your forum posts are a large part of why those tenants are the best in my building, hands down. I’ve been watching from the edges for some time now, and I think I’ve listened to about half of the podcasts already. I figured I was long past due for my introduction, so there it is...

I’ll try not to be such a wallflower now. ;)

Best wishes to you,

Brian Braeutigam