New Investor in Queens, NY

[Maritza Soto]

Hi everyone,

I am a new investor from the NYC area and I'm focusing on flipping in Long Island for now with plans on branching out into Westchester, Brooklyn, Queens and eventually buy & holds out of state. I've been listening to Bigger Pockets for the last 6 months and I am a huge fan because it's been very motivating. I've been trying to get started for a while now (I created my LLC back in 2015) so I'm finally ready to dive in.  

Some of the reasons why I haven't started yet was because I didn't have enough money and I was scared.  I become a part-time RE agent back in 2008 when the market started crashing (we didn't know how bad it was at the time).  I suddenly started doing it full time because I was a freelancer and I couldn't find work. I borrowed money from family and friends just to get by but eventually I was evicted and my car was repossessed.  It was a tough time for a lot of us and I never want to be in that position again.  Although this experience was the source of my fear, recently it has been my catalyst for taking action.

I work in sales at a tech company. Working from home gives me some flexibility in my schedule so I hope it will help me sustain my new "side hustle". I'm already working with a real estate agent and will be focusing on finding my first deal on MLS while building my marketing strategy. I'm also looking into financing options such as hard money and OPM.

I'm looking forward to being a member of the Bigger Pockets community, attending some of the meetups in the NY/NJ area, learning from others with experience and supporting my fellow newbies.  Wish me luck!

-Maritza