Cincinnati Investor - Bengals Fan (Insert pity here).

[Eric Sztanyo]

Hi Everyone!

I've been on BP for a few months now, but had yet to write a New Member Introduction. 

My wife and I kind of stumbled into real estate investing back in 2011. We had our first son, and were trying to supplement income from my wife's part time job. We ended up listing our home on VRBO (before the AirBNB days), and it rented out all summer. That blew me away because I thought, who comes to Cincinnati for vacation? Turns out, there was a growing demand for people who prefer to stay in homes rather than hotels. 

In the next few years, we bought a duplex in Fort Thomas, KY and house hacked. We then bought a property in Newport, KY and fully rehabbed a 3 story, 5 bedroom / 5 bath home, so that we could use it as a vacation rental full time. Only problem? The city's code did not have a category for vacation rentals ... long story short ... after operating for about a year (and our guests LOVED it), we had to shut it down, and we ended up selling the property. TONS of lessons learned here. 

Since 2011, real estate has been part time for me, and I've been a full time Internet Marketer, which I enjoy. I worked for a local startup from 2013-2015, and loved helping them get off the ground, grow their user base and acquire funding. After that, I reached out to the Real Estate Guys Radio (who I had been a fan of for years), and helped with their marketing efforts for about a  year. Great learning experience for me. 

In the last year, I've realized the real estate bug has bit me hard, and I am in the process of transitioning from Internet Marketing into full time Real Estate Investing (though, I plan to use my past experience for years to come). 

I'm partnering with a friend here in the Cincinnati area who has about 20 years Development experience. Eventually, we plan to help revitalize Cincinnati neighborhoods by working to create greater density in some overlooked, but now rising walkable neighborhoods. In the mean time, we are flipping single family homes in the area. 

Love this community and all of the opportunities it represents. Also, from a UX perspective, happy to see them asking members how to improve the site. 

Oh, and feel free to throw out your Bengals hate, pity, scorn, whatever _______ here. Whodey.

[Account Closed]

What an interesting story @Eric Sztanyo! Once I relocate in January to Cincinnati, it would be cool to connect. I'd certainly be interested in using REI to help revitalize Cincinnati neighborhoods, if you all are looking for more people to contribute. I had never considered a city not having a provision for vacation rentals in their city code, so thanks for highlighting that possibility! I learn multiple new things everyday on BP!