Greetings from ATX

[Doug Reed]

Hi!  I'm a computer engineer from Austin, TX.  Except for owning my own home, I'm not a real estate investor yet.  I'm looking to change that in the next year or two.  Like most of the other Austinites on BP posting introductions, I'm mostly looking outside of the Austin area (San Antonio, Kyle, RR, Killeen, etc) for my first rental property because of the crazy high housing prices in this city.

Since I'm a computer geek and can't distinguish myself by bringing a wealth of REI know-how to the table, I leave you with a few fun observations from the last 24 hours:

1. You can export search results of MLS listings in .csv format from at least one other major property searching site for free; and,

2. You can download historical rental prices, property appreciation/depreciation, etc. in .csv format from a different major property searching site for free.

I essentially scripted the finding of my current condo, and hope to adopt a similar strategy to finding deals on rentals.  That's long term, though -- for now, finding a single good deal on a cash flowing property is good enough for me.  

Thanks for reading!

[Grant Greene]

Doug:

Good morning, and welcome to BP! Here's some food for thought:

Before you make your first investment, meet with a mortgage/financial professional. They'll ask you to share your short- AND long-term goals, and then they'll help you construct a plan that will do two things:

1. Achieve your short-term goals that will produce proceeds and resources that will,

2. Give you the wherewithal to pursue and achieve your long-term goals

Many investors start off "too hot", and they either overdevelop their first property or they spend their money too fast: either of these behaviors will stop you dead in your tracks, and you probably won't even be able to achieve your short-term goals - and you certainly won't have the resources to pursue your long-term goals. Since you're not paying a mortgage pro for consulting, it's in their best interest to give you a solid plan so you're successful.

I wish you the very best!

Grant