Newbie from Indianapolis, Indiana

[Justin Owens]

Greetings. I discovered this site a couple months ago when trying to find some local REIA's in Indy. I have to say this site is awesome and its become one of my go to places to visit on a daily basis. Just a huge wealth of knowledge here on BP.

I am a Graphic Designer here in Indianapolis, and Graphic Design has so far been a good career for me for the past 10 years, but like many during the great recession I was furloughed at my job for several years and made only 80% of my normal income during that time. 4 day work weeks were nice, but my wife and I had a very hard time economically during those couple years, we still managed to save money and meet the bills, we had to put off alot of things that we wanted to do but couldn't really afford. Our wedding, remodeling the kitchen, retirement accounts, even starting a family. It was like our lives were sort of on pause during those couple of years, and that got me thinking about my future in a big way.   We've gotten good at saving money, and now I need to get good at making it work for us so that we aren't so dependent on weekly income from our careers for the rest of our lives.  

I'm thinking a rental properties would be a great first step, and I've convinced my wife that this is a worth while endeavor to really look into.

I've actually got a good buddy who is a very successful with investment properties and rentals here in Indy, and I'm sure he will take me under his wing with advice and help. But I also gotta show myself that I'm serious about this new endeavor and not rely on somebody to hold my hand. 

I've set a goal for us to own our first rental 1 year from now, foregoing any crazy expenditures with our own house or health of course.

I hope to learn bunch here, and hopefully build some connections with fellow investors here in Indianapolis.