Residential Buy/Hold Investor in the Houston/Beaumont Area

[Carlo Badiola]

Hello BiggerPockets!

I've been meaning to post an intro, so here it is! I'm a new investor and have had an interest in real estate investing for a long time (~8 years). Read many books during and coming out of college and have always been fascinated/interested in the medium. 

My background is engineering working for a major oil company, and I'm currently based in Beaumont, TX. Came across BP when I casually met someone who'd mentioned about a forum that a was a great resource. Dove into listening/reading into content of the site and found many of the resources I've read throughout the years to be in the same place. I'm also highly appreciative that I found a place which aligns with my views for providing substance, actionable info - sans hype.

Real Estate Experience

Finally bit the bullet last year when I purchased my first home. I've been crunching numbers for a while and actually used my methods for picking out a first home (for the numbers minded folks - normal investor metrics followed by cash flow analysis... for the nerdier folks out there - followed the cash flow analysis with a monte carlo simulation of the market/cash flow parameters). 

I digress.. I eventually got into my first MFH (owner occupied duplex) that took a considerable amount of time to close and before I learned that the whole FHA for MFH was an common and viable strategy. I learned many things since, like with first time investors (overpaid for the home, didn't know the whole process, etc.) - and the learning continues. I realized that my number crunching was not calibrated to more real market conditions so I'm continuing to refine my approach.

Future Goals

Looking to further expand my knowledge base and evaluating other strategies in the future. As for now, with an involved job, aiming to keep to a part-time role and sticking to more buy/holds. I'm still looking to expand my knowledge and hope to share/learn from others. Near term goal would be to acquire a real estate license and continue evaluating the Beaumont market for SFHs. 

Hoping to hear from more folks and even for casual discussion about real estate/business in general.