New Member in Estacada, Oregon

[Rob Jones]

Hello BP!  This is my first post as a member of this community, although I've been on the sidelines for a few months learning from others' posts and listening to podcasts.  I have my brother to thank for steering me in the direction of this community, and am grateful for it with so many tools and valuable inputs available.

My wife and I are real estate neophytes, but are looking forward to the opportunity to gain experience and grow a venture with our family.  We own our home in rural Clackamas County, and remodeled it inside and out with our own labor.  We hope to parlay that experience and our sweat equity to become active investors in the area soon.  

I have been a pilot in the military for 10 years, and currently fly for a major airline.  I have an engineering background, but no investment experience other than the purchase of our current home.  I am interested in building a portfolio of multifamily and/or commercial assets with a buy-and-hold mentality, but realize there are many avenues for transacting real estate that can be lucrative based on market conditions and expectations.  

Open kimono, I'm slightly skeptical of Portland and surrounding areas to the extent that recent investment trends (from what I can gather) seem to favor market appreciation over sustainable cash flow.  I'd love to hear other's perspective on what are the indicators of a "good deal" in the local area and what strategies seem to be working better than others.   

I look forward to hearing more and I thank you in advance for your time and efforts on BP.  I know how much I've learned already and am excited for the future!

Very Respectfully,

Rob Jones and Family