New Member / Big Plans - Pittsburgh, PA

[Jeremy T.]

Greetings BP.

Having spent many years integrating (and ingratiating) myself into online communities in several areas of interest, I have applied my method of anonymous lurking (no stalker) to gain a feel for the ‘lay of the land’. Last week I decided that the time had come to “go live” and now I formally introduce myself to this incredible community. I’m Jeremy, I’m 35, grew up and live in Pittsburgh, PA (with stops in FL and Portland, OR in between). My days are spent employed as a traffic engineer (yes, that is an actual job title), and my evenings are spent entertaining a great wife and two wonderful children.

I look forward to getting rich extremely easily and quickly, via wholesaling, fix-and-flipping and generating 5 figures of passive rental income per month whilst sipping on a cold beverage on the beach, all with no money down! At least that’s what the trustworthy looking gent on the teevee told me last weekend.

I have spent the past 15 years grinding out various parts of my days, nights and weekends honing a stock market strategy that continues to evolve to this very day (minute). Thus I know, all too well, that there is no “get rich quick”. One must continuously develop a plan/strategy that is aimed toward fulfilling short and long-term goals, make mistakes and learn from those mistakes, and stay persistent in the face of (sometimes overwhelming) resistance. I believe understanding and implementing those elements can translate to sustainable success in any field.

Alas, we are not here to talk about stocks or psychology (though I could ramble on for thousands of words on either topic), let us discuss real estate. I have big goals that require starting very small. After my months of research, I have determined that the foundation of my real estate ‘career' will be based on learning how to wholesale properties and the relationships that I am able to build and nurture through that process. From what I can gather, a primary component to success in REI is being able to find a deal. If I can base my business around learning how and where to locate said deals, then later aspirations of fix-and-flipping and/or buying-and-holding will naturally fall into place.

Allow me to spend a moment to expand upon my views regarding how I plan to approach this aspect of my business. I am a huge believer in fostering relationships that are mutually beneficial. In my experience, real estate and the stock market are traditionally a breeding ground for greed, selfishness, and just plain unsavory behavior. People who are respectful, transparent and honest are the exception, not the rule. Bigger Pockets has provided an oasis in the sea of garbage in the world of real estate investing, and that is why I am so encouraged with my experiences here thusfar.

I will run my business with integrity, honesty, and transparency. I will treat everyone with respect and expect the same in return. Quite frankly, whoever uttered the words “nice guys finish last” was an idiot. Granted, there is little room for spineless push-overs, but there is even less room for disingenuous, greedy hucksters. I am looking to partner with and learn from people who share this mindset.

In the interest of saving your eyes from glazing over, I’m going to wrap this up here. I will expand upon my thoughts and ideas in the proper forums here on BP. In the meantime, feel free to add me as a friend/contact and I will do the same.

Let’s get to work.

-Jeremy