New from Fort Worth, TX moving to Southern California

[Gabe Santa Cruz]

Hey Bigger Pockets! My name is Gabe.  Originally from Ft. Worth, TX, I am a 31 year old husband and father of two beautiful girls.  I currently live in Duluth, MN and have been for the past 2 years, but will be relocating to Southern California at the end of this year to start a new job.

Formerly, I served in the Marine Corps for 9 years as an Air Traffic Controller and had the privilege of living in both North Carolina and California as well visiting various locations all over the world.  After making the decision to separate, I continued working as a Controller for the Federal Aviation Administration which brought me to Duluth.  I never found much satisfaction in Air Traffic Control (although it has taken great care of me and my family), so I made a big decision almost 3 years ago to try and become a Los Angeles County Firefighter and do something that involved serving others in a greater capacity.  After some time and a lot of prayer, I was finally offered a job with the County!  With all that said, I am set to leave Duluth mid-November and will be in the Los Angeles County area soon after.

My goals are as such: Purchase a multifamily property in Southern California, occupy one unit with my family and rent the remaining out.  Assuming my wife and I find that we enjoy the experience and can manage the property successfully, we intend to make purchase on 17 occupied units in Texas owned by my Father-in-Law within the next 5-10 years.  Further down the road, I plan to purchase increasingly larger commercial properties as well as starting a couple of side businesses.

We are ultimately looking for financial freedom and to be able to pass on something big that could impact our family for generations to come.  We honestly believe that real estate is our chance.  I would love to continue working as a firefighter, but I don't want to have to solely rely on working for someone else to get the life that my family and I want.  I don't have any experience in real estate, save for purchasing and selling our first house, so I'll be asking a ton of questions, looking for resources, and expanding my knowledge as far as I can.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to meeting many of you!