Newbie investor moving to Fairbanks, Alaska! (Military)

[Matt Slykhuis]

Hey all. I'm a newbie looking to start investing in real estate in the Fairbanks, Alaska area some time early next year. I have very little experience in real estate but have been learning a lot over the past few weeks and took a class in college about 8 years ago. I have listened to the first 20 BP podcasts (amazing!), have read about 1/3 of J Scott's flipping book, and will continue to listen to the podcasts and read over the next few months (and beyond).

I am originally from Iowa, but have spent the last 7 years on Active Duty (Army) in Alabama, central Texas, El Paso, and of course Afghanistan a couple times. I am a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and have a degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State.

Real estate will just be a side investment for me, but I am looking to focus primarily on a buy and hold rental strategy. I plan to post my business plan in another thread, but my goal will be to create positive cashflow on a passive basis that will give me the option to completely retire when I hit 20 years of military service. I will attempt to use my "frequent mover" status to my advantage and purchase investment properties at each duty station.

What I am looking for at BP:
1) I would love to have guidance along the way, but I understand that I’m a newbie without any credibility at this point.
2) A group of people to provide encouragement but also hold me accountable.
3) Continued education. I have already learned SO much in just a few weeks.

Thanks for checking out my thread!