Hello from Connecticut!

[Lyandrea Russell]

Hi Everyone! This is my first time signing up and posting but I've been a fan and avid reader on BP for a long, long time. I'm excited to finally jump in and make connections with all of you like-minded people here.

My husband and I have been interested in real estate for a long time. He is currently a level III Maintenance Technician at a large property management company and I was an Office Mgr. for a construction company for 4 and a half years (I currently own a fine art photography prints business.) Two months ago we rented out the home we had been living in for 2 years. BP helped so much with the whole process and we learned so much from the hands on experience. Learning the CT Landlord/Tenant laws, building a lease, creating a listing (taking great pictures and being descriptive got us positive feedback), doing showings, screening tenants and actually being a Landlord has been invaluable. After accounting for vacancy and repairs we're really only breaking even as far as cash flow, but we moved onto the site where my husband works and the savings on the rent vs. our mortgage is what has put us ahead. 

We're really interested in creating financial freedom for our family (we have a son) and we feel like real estate is a perfect fit. We're buy-and-hold investors and want to build a portfolio of cash flowing rentals (SFR/Duplex/Triplex) that will eventually allow both my husband and I to be full-time investors. We both have skills that would contribute to this goal. My husband does appliance/plumbing/boiler/electrical repairs, turns apartments, does inspections, deals with contractors, and troubleshoots on a regular basis. If we can find deals that work for us in the CT area, it would be great since we could do a lot of the work ourselves. We would eventually like to invest in other markets where the point of entry is lower and cash flow potential higher and more landlord-friendly areas - possibly around Atlanta, Indianapolis, Toledo, Kansas City, Rochester, NY...still researching.