Newbie from Casper, WY

[Toni Annis]

Hi everyone!

Total newbie here from Casper, WY (well actually Alcova, WY but close enough... who's ever even heard of Alcova!?). My husband and I live on a ranch outside of Alcova and are starting some real estate investing in order to get more passive income to live on without having to work off the ranch. We enjoy being out here full time and raising our awesome boys way too much to be stuck in a 9-5!

So far in our investing carrier we've made one deal. We purchased a mobile home lot with a mobile home that needed some repairs. We fixed up the mobile home and planned to rent it but our "buy and hold" quickly turned into a "fix and flip" =O Now here we are quickly trying to learn about 1031 exchanges (which some of BiggerPockets members have already helped out immensely with!) and seeking out a replacement property right on the cusp of one of the ranches busiest seasons. Oh well, never a dull moment around here... We'll make due and get 'er done.

One of the biggest things I'm struggling with as a newbie is making connections and networking. There are absolutely no REI clubs in the area or even the state as far as I can find. It seems like when we tell people what we're doing we're either met with "Well good for you..."(but their face says they think we are crazy) or people will tell us we are nuts and they have some failed story to tell you all about. We have A LOT of real estate agents in our area for the size of our town but I'm struggling trying to figure out which ones are investing savvy. I'm struggling with tracking down a lawyer that specializes in real estate. It seems like all the investors around here like to keep secret that they invest.

I'm hoping you great folks on here have some good advice for me and I really look forward to interacting on these forums and learning as much as possible! We have an hour drive to town from where we live so my husband and I have found that is prime time to listen to the podcasts! Thanks everyone!