From my Basement in Arvada, Colorado - Hello!

From my Basement in Arvada, Colorado - Hello!

Arvada, CO · Member since 2014 · 23 posts · 8 votes

Hi! My name is Kayla, I'm 22 and I'm ambitious to learn how to establish and maintain passive income using rental property. I'm pretty much like any other 22 year old out there, except that I haven't followed every one else my age off the cliff; college debt, car debt, fast food job... I'm debt free, as long as the car doesn't break down. I do not live at home, like many my own age do.

I work in a call center for $13/hr, 46 hours a week, out-earning most of my age group by ~$4/hr and by an extra 15-20 hours a week. : ) I really wanna put that extra income to work for me in the next six months to a year and establish my Rat Race Escape Route.

For the next six months, extreme frugality is my lifestyle - if anyone can provide resources on this, please do! My short term goal is to purchase my first multifamily property in the next year (and hopefully get a killer deal on it!). My long term goal is to collect many multifamily properties, aggressively pay off mortgages and have enough units to fully support myself (and more) by the time my future children are ready for adulthood. TL;DR: Early retirement. 

Right now, my husband and I live in a basement. Not a basment apartment, garden level with a sliding door. There isn't even an egress window. It's not a finished basement. I don't even get the whole basement - just half, and the other half is storage for my landlady. Sometimes, if it rains too hard, the water pools higher than the foundation and comes in, providing a really lovely water feature! 

I live in this basement because it is (in comparison to other rent prices in my area) dirt cheap at $430/mo. It also comes with utilities included and free milk/toilet paper. I mean, it's really a killer deal.

Because it's such a killer deal, I'm going to be able to save 12k+ over the next 12 months and purchase my first multifamily home by this time next year. If I had that money now, I would go out and buy right away - but, alas, paitence and dilligence are key.

So, hello everyone! I'm looking forward to building a network here, of peers close to home and far from home, so I can learn all I could possibly need to know about the road ahead of me. There's a ton of information out there, I can tell - but I have plenty of time to learn while squirreling my meager income away!

Thanks!
Kayla

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  • Brandon TurnerPro Member
    Investor · Maui, HI · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    12y

    Hey @Kayla Davis  thanks for introducing yourself! It's great to have you here! Don't miss The BiggerPockets Podcast - they are great for learning how others are finding success.

    Oh - and be sure to set up some Keyword Alerts- especially for "Arvada" so you'll be notified when people mention it here in the forums.

    Thanks again for introducing yourself!

  • Dave VisayaPro Member
    Moderator
    Audio Engineer and Investor · Cebu City, Cebu · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 881 votes
    12y

    Hey @Kayla Davis welcome to the site!

    BiggerPockets
  • Residential Real Estate Agent · Broomfield, CO · Member since 2013 · 390 posts · 125 votes
    12y

    Hey @Kayla Davis , welcome to the site.  If I were you, I'd start attending the monthly Denver meetups - can't hurt to get established/started early.  The first thing I'd do (when you're ready and after education) is start wholesaling - there are several ways to do this with no money, like calling on craigslist ads, etc.  Not glamorous, but it can get you experience.  The only thing I'd spend money on is $10 or so for business cards from a place like overnightprints.com.

    As for other resources for frugality, your local guru is MrMoneyMustache.com

    The other really useful life hack I've found is Republic wireless for cell service.  It's $25/month for unlimited everything.  That's what I have now and it's awesome. 

    Good luck, and feel free to reach out to me or @Anson Young or @Micki M. for local help.

    Adrian

  • Bill S.Pro Member
    Moderator
    Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    12y

    @Kayla Davis welcome and great start by living below your means. Patience will pay off too. You might be able, if you find a four-plex, to have the tenants pay your rent for you. Then you can really save.

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Golden, CO · Member since 2013 · 590 posts · 319 votes
    12y

    Welcome Kayla,

    College does not = success. Way to maintain a debt free life so far. Glad you are thinking outside the box and working towards your goals. I lived ultra conservative for years building capital (still do just not so extreme). It pays off eventually. See ya around.

  • Flipper/Rehabber · York, UK · Member since 2013 · 895 posts · 453 votes
    12y

    @Kayla Davis I love the frugality! I once tried to convince my partner that we should live on half of our income for a year, it didn't go over so well. This falls into the category of "you know you're investor when" you prioritize getting your long term investments started over some creature comforts in the short term.  Thanks @Adrian Tilley for the shout out, I'm always up for talking about investing, real estate, and financial goals... next time you're jonesing for a fancy latte, I'll buy.

  • Solo 401k Expert · Anaheim Hills, CA · Member since 2012 · 18k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    12y

    Welcome to BP community @Kayla Davis  It is a great place to meet new friends and learn about various aspects of real estate and more. 

    Wishing you the best! 

  • Rental Property Investor · Yorba Linda, CA · Member since 2012 · 336 posts · 69 votes
    12y

    @Kayla Davis 

    Welcome fellow Bigger Pockets member! This is a great forum and I am sure it will help you learn many facets of the real estate investment world. I purchased my first investment property over 40 years ago and only wish that I had a resource like BP community when I got started! So you are in a good company.

    Some say that your net-worth equals your network, and this is the place to make right connections. You should also find investors locally and network with them face-to-face. Find people close to you using MEET feature, also look for investor meetings on Meetup.

    All the best!

  • Hanford, CA · Member since 2013 · 5k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    Welcome to Biggerpockets. 

    We shared a place with friends for our first year of marriage. It allowed us to save a lot of money. A great website for frugality is mrmoneymustache. One of the forum members over there actually turned me onto this great site.

  • Arvada, CO · Member since 2014 · 23 posts · 8 votes
    12y

    Thanks for the warm welcome, everybody! Especially to those locals to my area, really cool to see local faces in the crowd. :) Can't wait to get started! See you around..

    Kayla

  • Anson YoungBusiness Member
    Flipper/Rehabber · Denver, CO · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 726 votes
    12y

    Welcome!!

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