I Buy & Hold in Grand Rapids, Michigan

[Andy W.]

Hello!

Long-time-procrastinator; first-time-investor.

Since August 2015, I've purchased two investment properties in Grand Rapids, MI:

• Single family (3 bed / 2 bath) in East Hills
• Two-family (2+1.5 up / 3+1 down) in Creston

Both needed some work, but now the single family is available and the two-family is half-rented, so I'm getting there!

I'm quite handy, so I've done most of the fixing up myself. I realize that's not sustainable when building a large property portfolio, but for now I'm enjoying getting my hands dirty, and hoping to have positive cash flow by the end of the month!

[Linval T.]

@Andy W.

Welcome aboard the vibrant BP community. Congratulations on your quick action in securing multiple properties so readily.

You already have some experience and with additional effort, will quickly climb the REI ladder to its pinnacle.

To be more successful, you simply have to work on the other elements to progress your REI pursuit. Below are some quick links to get engaged on this site.

• http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere
• http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet
• Setting up Keyword Alerts
• How to Use @Mentions on BiggerPockets
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/rules
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/invites
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/categories

REI books suggested by BPers

http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/04/14/best-real-estate-books/?utm_source=search&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=books

Simply, bone up on the areas that you need to expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.

Feast on the Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, blogs and webinars

Lastly, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.