Hello from Kingwood/Austin/Wherever I am this week!

[Phil Jones]

Hi Bigger Pockets People!

I'm a single father, a consultant by day, an aspiring real estate mogul in Kingwood TX (Houston) and Austin.

Through the insanity of the pre-collapse mortgage lending, I bought my first house in Austin back in 2003 when I was 18 with no credit. I wanted to have a place to live while I was in college. I lived in one room and rented out the other two to cover (mostly) cover the mortgage. I guess I was house hacking before it was cool.

Work has had me moving back and forth between Austin and Houston. Since my daughter is in Houston, I spend most of my time there, and recently bought a house here in Kingwood where I live with my girlfriend.

Ever since buying the first house in Austin, I've wanted to invest more seriously in Real Estate. But I always found excuses: too young, too little income, too little certainty. I've realized it's time to get over that. I want to build some wealth for my family, and starting earlier would be better.

From my day job, I love doing forecasting and projections, so I think that’s something I can help people with? I hope it will add to my abilities as an investor. I've traditionally been risk averse, but I'm willing to take managed risks when I've done my homework, and my Excel and forecasting skills help me feel more confident about making those projections.

My plan, as of now, is to go the BRRR route with single family homes in the Kingwood/Woodlands area of Houston. I would do Austin, but that market has probably priced me out at this point. My SMART goal is to have 8 cash flow producing properties within the next five years, and to take as much advantage of the low interest rates as possible.

As for being a member of Bigger Pockets, I'm hoping to:

• help people with whatever skills I can (maybe forecasting?)
• connect with like-minded investors and professionals
• Learn as much as I can!

Looking forward to being a part of this great community!