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Updated about 8 years ago, 11/15/2016
New Member from Kennesaw, Georgia
Hello BiggerPockets community!
My name is Clarke Monroe and I am very excited to be writting my first post! I recently joined BP after listening to a couple of the terrific audiobooks by BP publishing.
I am 29 years old and an electronics engineer currently working at Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta. It's a good job, but from where I live in Kennesaw, this means about 2 hours in the car each day. This long commute has become more and more difficult to stomach over the past couple years, especially as our family has recently gotten bigger.
It's during this long ride that I've been devouring a multitude of REI books for the past 6 months. I'm very much a newbie as I have not yet made any deals. But with that said, I feel my education is reaching the point where I can make my first step into the REI waters. Furthermore, I'm eager and motivated to ditch the 9-to-5 along with that rough commute to spend more time with family and to be in direct control of my income.
I'm primarily interested in the buy and hold strategy for the long-term passive rental income. Though, I'm open to other stategies that help achieve my family and financial goals.
If you live in or near Kennesaw and are passionate about REI, I would love to meet you and learn more about what you do.
Thanks for your time!
Clarke Monroe
Hi @Clarke Monroe ,
Welcome to the BP community!. Thanks for introducing yourself. Glad to hear that you're making some steps. Don't be afraid to make that move and take action. All the best!
Clarke,
It's a great day when someone realizes their 9-5 is never going to give them long term financial security! I'm in Kennesaw as well. If you ever need assistance give me a shout.
Hey @Clarke Monroe, welcome to BP! Here you can find all sorts of resources that people share freely. If you haven't already, look into:
Weekly webinars:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/webinar
Or the forums, or great guides and books:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investin...
https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/01/3...
https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/01/0...
http://get.biggerpockets.com/flippingbook/
Or you can analyze deals to start getting practice before you actually jump in:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/flip-analysis
I would also suggest you look for local Real Estate Investing Associations or clubs meetings to begin networking with people in the industry. I believe there's one in Canton in January and another soon in Marietta. I'm fairly new to this myself, but if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.
All the best man
Nice to meet you Jorge! Thanks for all the info! I had come across a couple of those resources but a majority are completely new to me. So rha ks again for sharing. I'll start going through them immediately and look for those meetups you mentioned.
Thanks!
Hi @Robert Gilstrap!
(Sorry for the delay, I somehow missed you message earlier.)
Thanks for the encouragement about stepping away from the status-quo job. There's a lot to consider and I can see why some never make the step at all. But, with that said, I'm determined NOT to settle!
Any chance you'd have any time for a free lunch or dinner this weekend? Or sometime next week?
Thanks!
Clarke Monroe
I'm free next Friday for Lunch just see my contact info in my profile and give me a shout to arrange.
Welcome to BP! Good Luck in all of your endevaours
Hello and welcome! Good luck with everything!
I encourage you to take that first leap. You can get caught up in a lot of education, as it is practically endless. I've gotten caught up myself and, after over a year, took my first real action just yesterday.
Hi Clarke Monroe
My name is Deb and I live just south of Buffalo NY. I know all about the commuting in Atlanta, our oldest daughter is in Woodstock and we live it there but hate the traffic.
Welcome to BP and good luck. I wish I had pursued real estate earlier but I believe it's never too late.
If you have time join a REIA group in your area. Most are free and you'll meet real estate agents and investors that are in your area that are more than willing to help. I joined 2 months ago and met an agent that helped me get my first house under contract to flip and I should be closing in 3 weeks.
Also if you have some time read the E myth it's great and an easy read.
Deb
Hi @Clarke Monroe! Welcome to BP! I'm in Kennesaw also. Congrats on taking those first steps - I was about where you are now a couple of years ago and we currently have 4 rental properties, all in Kennesaw.
Feel free to reach out to me if you want to chat. @Robert Gilstrap is a veteran and has a wealth of knowledge so I would definitely take him up on his offer of lunch if you haven't already! :)
@Eddie Atkinson, Thanks for the encouragement and you're advice not to hesitate too much. I'm definitely the type of person that can over plan things sometimes.
Congratulations on taking your 1st step yesterday!! Can I ask what that 1st step was??
Welcome to BP and real estate! I live nearby in Hiram, invest in the west Cobb area among others.
Second the suggestion on the local REIAs, they are a great resource. Meetup app lists several in different metro areas/interests. Atlanta REIA has a meeting tonight at the DoubleTree Roswell that I'm attending. If you are interested, details at http://atlantareia.com/.
welcome to BP @Clarke Monroe, am also within the Kennesaw, Marietta, Atlanta area, i can relate with the crazy traffic situation making you just want to quit!! lol. good luck in your RE pursuits.
Hey. Well, it's kind if a pseudo but necessary first step. I finally sent out postcards to find motivated sellers. I say "pseudo" because I can still stall out and not answer the phone or follow up. I'm pretty excited about it, though.
Hi @Deb Paternostro! Thanks for reaching out!
My sister lives in NY and actually just bought a house there. Though, she's on the other side of the state from you in NYC. Is your daughter in Woodstock involved in real estate herself? This might sound funny coming from someone my age but I completely agree that it's never too late in life to start anything. So good for you!
Also thanks for the tip to find a local group. I'm just now meeting some local people but that would certainly jump start the process. And I'll check out "E Myth". It'll probably be another audiobook accompanying me on the way to work.
Best of luck to you!
Clarke
Hey @Clarke Monroe Welcome to BP man! Persist and you will do just fine. best of luck to you.
Hi @Julie Kern !
Thanks for the warm welcome! I did follow up with Robert and we'll be meeting this Friday. I'm really looking forward to it.
Four rental properties in 2 years! That sounds pretty darn good! I'm certain I'll be bugging you with a few questions pretty soon! :)
Thanks again!
Clarke
Hi @Kim Bayless!
Thanks for the welcome and advice! I had previously tried to use the meetup app to find REI clubs but didn't have much success. But I'll give it a second look. I wish I could have made it to last night's meeting but hopefully you'll see me at the next one!
Thanks again!
Clarke
Welcome @Clarke Monroe! I live just up the road from Kennesaw in Canton and host the meet-up that @Jorge Borjas mentioned. I'm likely moving the meet-up back to Kennesaw where it started after the holidays.
I've wholesaled, rehabbed, and just became a licensed agent. My long-term goal is rentals, but I'm not quite there yet. Feel free to give me a call at the number in my signature if you want to chat.
Welcome to Bigger Pockets. You are at the right place to learn about real estate investing.
Same here Clarke. Living in Kennesaw and took REI full time about 2 years ago. Would be happy to help. Not seasoned by any means but have done about 12 or 13 deals.