Getting started in Birmingham, AL

[Mark W.]

Good morning! My name is Mark and I've been a bigger pockets listener for about 6 months now. I've made it about halfway through the backlog and can't put down the podcast. I try to run 10-12 miles a week and Brandon & Josh come along and turn it into an enjoyable experience. I've been married for 10 years and have two boys.

I've always wanted to run a business and I think real estate can provide the best opportunity to slowly shift into it. I'm employed full time in a very stable position and do enjoy my job enough to keep at it a while longer (comes in handy for mortgages, too).  I'm currently on track to reach financial independence within 12 years but I want to speed that up and find a new passion. The goal is a flexible business to support my lifestyle where I can shift to be more or less active depending on circumstances & desires.

I'm interested in buy and hold with cash flow or appreciation (definitely no feeding a rental though). I think I'd like to give property management a shot at least through 10 properties to get a good background in it. I do not want higher risk for higher returns. I've got a decent down payment saved and add more every month.

Next steps:

• Start interacting on BP forums regularly.
• Find & learn 2-3 neighborhoods worth investing in. I want to stay out of war zones and problem areas. I like neighborhoods with proud residents. I'm very familiar with my neighborhood, Bluff Park, but prices are high at the moment. Possibly some door knocking or mail opportunities there.
• Begin analyzing deals regularly
• Knock out some real estate books. I'm currently reading The Millionaire Real Estate Investor and I've got at least 5 more lined up after that. Gotta find more time to read!
• Setup of documents/structures to handle the first deal with the intent of growing to 10 initially.

Thanks for reading,
Mark