New Guy from Atascadero, California

[Matthew Pauls]

Hi everyone! I'm Matthew Pauls from Atascadero, California, which is located a bit north of San Luis Obispo. I've been working as an IT guy in schools for the past 6ish years. I really enjoy working with computers/technology, hiking, and running.

I don't have much experience in real estate, although I have made a few offers on houses in the past, if that counts for anything. A few weeks ago I was looking at my mutual fund and thought I could do better. I did a few searches and Google and found Bigger Pockets, and I'm a big fan already.

I really like the hands-on idea of real estate investing, and after reading some books and listening to a bunch of Bigger Pockets podcasts I think I'd like to tackle the 'buy and hold' strategy and become a landlord.

I'm really excited about this, although I'm a bit nervous--especially since the housing market here on the central coast is a bit steep, so I'm not sure how exactly I'm going to make this work and if I'm going to invest locally.

I'm looking forward to learning more, connecting with people, and beginning to build my real estate investments.