Out of State Investor in Southern California

[Matthew Hunt]

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to introduce myself- I've been visiting Bigger Pockets for years, but only registered earlier this year and started listening to the podcasts a month or two ago.

My name is Matt and I'm a primarily buy and hold investor located in the Los Angeles South Bay area.  In my job, I work for a bank as a commercial lender, but I don't do investment or residential property loans.  I got started investing in real estate in 2013 and currently own 4 SFRs in North Texas (Grayson County).  I'm also in the process of building a spec house with a partner in a Texas resort area, which is a first for the both of us.

I think I am unique in that I have only ever used commercial loans to buy investment property, which I hold in LLCs.  I've never used a personal mortgage for investment purposes, so my investor loans don't show on my personal credit report.  I use a professional property management firm with it's own construction arm, so I don't need to deal with outside contractors.  I love the team that I have in place, which is a major factor keeping my focus in the same geographical area.

Going forward, I'd like to explore multifamily rentals and maybe expand to a second market such as North Florida or Central Arizona.

I'd also like to get more involved in the real estate investing community in general and attend some meetings at a local REIA.

I'd love to share any of my experiences if it helps someone.

I look forward to being more involved as a member of the Bigger Pockets community.  Thanks!