Newbie SoCal Investor

[Michael Reyes]

Hello BP Team,

My name is Michael and I live in the city of Escondido, CA.  For those not familiar with SoCal, Escondido borders San Diego to the South and approximately 20 miles East of the Pacific Ocean.  I moved my family here in 1993, when I was transferred to what was then Naval Air Station Miramar.  I'm dating myself :-).  Back then, it was a quiet, out of the way city where my wife and I could raise our two young daughters.  Not the hustle and bustle of other cities, but it has certainly has changed a lot over the past 23 years.

I bought my one and only investment property in Hawaii 30 years.  Due to differences of opinion with my investor partner, I walked away with my profit and have not invested in real estate since then, aside from my personal residences over the years. But, I've always had real estate in the back of my mind knowing that it would someday lead to greater things in life that a 9 to 5 job just won't provide.

I became a licensed RE agent a number of years ago which didn't get me very far when the markets crashed and there was an abundance of full-time agents trying to sell properties that didn't move. I let my license expire, but have started to study so that I can become licensed again. So, although I know a bit about real estate, I'm humble enough to admit that I don't everything and will relearn what I know and keep an open mind to what's changed in the industry.

Thirty years ago, my plan was to start with residential properties, work my way into multi-family and apartment complexes and on to commercial properties.  Deep down inside, I still have the passion to make that a reality today.  It's not a matter of why I can't do it, but a matter of how am I going to make it happen.

I admittedly don't have a lot of wealth like a lot of the folks who are starting out on BP, but I am taking the steps necessary to get what I do have liquid so that when I find a deal that meets my criteria, I can pull the trigger to make that first step, for the second time.

I came across BP a couple of weeks ago, have read numerous blog posts, watched a number podcasts and it has inspired me to just do it.  I look forward to meeting and building relationships with a number of BP members.  Your successes motivate me and I will hopefully be able to at sometime in the future give back to the community ten-fold.

So, that's my story.  Nothing special, just an ordinary guy.  I'm here to learn, give back, make deals, build wealth.

I would like to connect with folks in San Diego, Southern Orange and Riverside counties in the short term.  Long term, it's a big world out there.  If interested, send me a message.  I'd love to hear about your successes, failures & challenges.

Happy Investing!  Cheers,

Michael