New Guy - Introduction, Strategy & Feedback

[Paul Johnson]

I am new to real estate investing and I would like feedback on my strategy and any pointers on how to get started.

• I have approximately $100K to invest and would like to build a RE portfolio using this seed money along with savings generated from my day job ($20K-$50K annually)
• Similar to most, I'd like to have investments sufficient to generate enough cash flow to support my needs and allow me focus on real estate on a full time basis. That said, I am not looking to quite my day job tomorrow and understand this endeavor will take time and effort
• Starting out I want focus on learning and making measured investments. That said, I am not afraid of being aggressive, taking calculated risks and making the effort to read, network, perform analysis and put in long hours as necessary.
• Based on the above, I believe my focus should be on buy and hold / long term and cash flow focused investing. 
• Appears a good first goal would be to focus on building a portfolio of single family properties as the deal size is small and complexity is manageable. Multi-family is not out of the question, but will need to learn more.
• I am a CPA and work in corporate finance for a large public company and understand and am attracted to the basic economics of REI.
• Re-locating to Houston in Aug and will be starting business there
• From reading biggerpockets posts, clear that I need to build a strong network and attend as many networking events as possible to build deal flow/pipeline, find a mentor, meet brokers, develop relationships with contractors etc
  • Initial areas of focus
    • Research and outline investment strategy
    • Identify investment criteria
    • Identify and attend networking events
    • Make contact with agents and generate opportunities
    • Identify potential mentors
    • Create business cards

I'd welcome any general reaction or feedback from this community on the above plan, and, in particular, any thoughts on where I should initially invest my time and resources. 

• What would you focus on in the first 90 days?
• What investing strategy would you choose, considering my financial circumstances along with limited experience?
• Is single family a good place to start?
• Who are the best contacts to make first?

Thank you in advance, this appears to be an amazing community and an unbelievable resource.