Brian from Boston, possibly with Tampa in mind

[Brian Francis]

Hi Everyone!

I joined BiggerPockets recently after hearing about it on another type of forum. I am new to the world of real estate but I am eager to learn as much as I can. Especially when it comes to the math involved and how to best leverage numbers when considering what's available.

I am from the Upstate NY area. I lived in central and western NY all of my life before moving to Boston in 2012. I studied computer science in college and work in the IT world as an analyst. My interests tend to be on the technology side of the spectrum with sports mixed in.

I bought my first condo in Boston at the end of 2012 with the plan to live in it for a few years, then buy another, before renting the first out. With a longer term goal of rental's becoming my primary income stream. With the market the way it is in the Boston area, this plan is kind of up in the air for me now. Competing with cash buyers and only being able to put produce a small percentage as a down payment has made me hesitant to move forward. I am in a situation where my condo has appreciated nicely, but I was really hoping to keep it as a rental. It seems like in order to continue in Boston, at least in the near future, I may need to consider selling to get into my next place, and maybe have enough left over to put toward an investment. Alternatively, I have been thinking about investing in the Tampa area. I know this introduces a number of other challenges, but prices there seem to be more realistic based on what I can save. I also have family in that area so I am there a few times a year.

I am sure a lot of that could be it's own post and it probably will be. Hopefully this provides enough insight to start conversations with others who have been in similar situations. I have been reading blog and forum posts and some of the stories here are incredibly inspiring. Especially about not over planning and jumping in. I can easily let myself over plan and over think, so here's to taking the first step by building a network of like minded people to inspire each other.

-Brian