Giving myself a second chance

[James Warren]

Hello everyone.

I am a 37 year old Electrical Engineer originally from Cleveland, OH and now living in Danbury, CT.  In 2007, a couple years after finishing college and beginning to earn money, I got greedy and jumped into buying a duplex to house-hack without doing proper due diligence.  Let's just say I put my trust in people I shouldn't have.  I obviously learned a lot from this, but this experience shook me and the last thing on my mind was doing another deal.

A couple months ago, I was referred to Biggerpockets by a longtime friend who encouraged me to listen to one of the podcasts.  Within a month I had purchased and read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and The Cashflow Quadrant.  I don't want to get ahead of myself but I believe my life will never be the same from here on.  These books really opened my eyes w.r.t. personal finance and my mentality toward money.  Right now I'm about halfway through Bradon Turner's The Book on Real Estate Investing with No and Low Money Down.  Next up is his book on estimating rehab costs.

I'm here to learn as much as I can in preparation for my next investment. I'm still in the phase of mapping out a business plan (BRRRR vs flip, how to raise money, should I get a real estate license myself, etc). I have so many questions. Being able to come here, use the calculators, read posts and ask questions is going to be incredibly helpful. I'm looking forward to an amazing process of learning and experiencing life from a new perspective!