Newbie from Washington State but currently in Japan!

[Vern Lababit]

My name is Vern Lababit, I'm originally from the Phillipines and moved to Washington State in 1987 and joined the Navy in 1996, still in and have a few more years to retire.  I have been reading into real estate investing for some time now and ready to take action. I came across Bigger Pockets through YouTube  and got curious, looks like a site and network that I would love to tap into. My immediate goals are to get the basic 101's of investing and the plan is to purchase my first property by the end of the year hoping I am educated enough and got the right amount of funding for it. My ultimate goal is to have multiple rental properties and ultimately get into commercial real estate as well. 

Looking forward to networking and learning all about real estate investing.