Ready to Run Newbie from Omaha, NE - Starting in the midwest

[Derek Eskens]

Hi BP crew. I'm making my official introduction here as a signpost for when I _really_ started down the path of REI.

I'm a senior software engineer for a consulting company headquartered out of Minneapolis, with an Omaha office of about 30 developers. I've been doing software development for over 15 years now and have been looking for better ways to put my money to work while still doing what I love.

I've been investing in the stock market since my days at Ameritrade, but I'm looking to diversify and always looking for better returns (stability, ROI). After hearing @Account Closed on the TWiT podcast, I started digging into real estate investing.

I've done my research and my wife and I have decided this is the right path for us. We have no experience in real estate, but we're good and reseach & analysis and learning as needed.

Based on our research, time commitments, risk tolerances, etc, we're planning on starting with turnkey rentals in the midwest(-ish). As we grow in size and experience, we plan to buy properties closer to home that we can manage "ourselves". We'll be starting with single family homes, but hope to move into multi-family units within our first 5 years. We'd like to be aggressive and double in doors each year for the first 5 years, then reassess our needs for growth vs. consolidation.

We are talking our first steps now. We are evaluating CPAs and attorneys that focus on REI so we can set up our holding and (maybe) management companies. Then as we find deals, we'll form LLCs as needed.

I'm always happy to grab lunch with strangers, so if you're interested in chatting, feel free to ping me.

If anyone have recommendations for CPAs and attorneys for someone just starting out (I'm not afraid to switch later as our needs change), I'd love some recommendations.  Remote is fine, but I'd prefer someone in the midwest just because I feel they can provide quality service for more reasonable prices.  And there's that good ole midwest work ethic :-)

Thanks! Hope to meet some of you soon.