New to REI - Kansas City, MO

[Cole Starin]

Hi Ya'll,

I've been on the BiggerPockets forum for several months and would like to formally introduce myself. My name is Cole Starin and I'm a CPA in the greater Kansas City area.

First off, I would like to thank the community and all the in house BiggerPockets contributors for the immense amount of valuable and enriching information within this website! Words can't describe how much I've learned and the level of excitement/motivation I've gained since joining. For the most part, I've been listening to Josh and Brandon's podcasts and it has really set the tone for my investing career. I since have forwarded podcast episodes to friends and family as they've really helped in my development.

Since joining, I've made it a priority to get out in the market and really take action! A few months back, I was in the market for a new place to live. I was commuting to work from the suburbs and I was looking for somewhere closer to work. Although traffic in Kansas City isn't comparable to a NYC, Chicago, etc., it still sucks during rush hour. As I was looking for a new place, I stumbled upon a sixteen unit apartment complex that appeared to need work. Long story short, I came to find out that the owner(s) were out of state investors and looking for more stability at their location. The apartment wasn't exactly the space I needed, nor was it my ideal situation, but I decided to contact the owner directly to make him an offer that would help both of us. I'm now living at/managing the complex in exchange for little to no living expenses. The best part, I found myself a mentor and someone that I can talk real estate with on a weekly basis. My new mentor Brad, has been awesome! He's constantly teaching me and allowing me valuable property management experience that I otherwise would not have the opportunity to gain without starting in my own property. Furthermore, I now have access to his network and the people he works with.

Currently, I'm in the process of looking to procure my own multifamily property. I think a buy and hold strategy is how I would like to start my business and a 5-8 unit multifamily property is my criteria. However, I'm also considering partnering with Brad and his partnership as this is likely an easier way to get started.

Thanks for reading. I'm looking forward to contributing to discussions and further adding value to the forum in the event I have valuable information.