Beginner from north of Seattle...but living international

[Wes S.]

Hello BiggerPockets! I've been learning from you for 6 months: blogs, books, podcasts, and forums. Thanks for the great content! I'm new to systematic and purposeful real estate investing, so I'm open-minded and am eager to learn.

My name is Wes Stange. My wife and I own two single-family rentals up in Whidbey Island, Washington (near Island and Skagit counties), near the Navy base. We had another from 2007 that was a doozy of an education, but we sold it last year (I'll post about that adventure sometime). Now, we're interested in building our network in the area north of Seattle and exploring single-family and small multifamily properties.

But here's the twist:  We don't live in the U.S. I work internationally most of the time, and the rest of the time I'm in the other Washington (D.C.) when we happen to be in the country. It seems like the barriers to real estate investing from 6,000 miles away are mostly in my head and not that different from cross-country investors -- but I'd love to hear your suggestions on how to get over that geographic jump!

So what do I bring to the table? Well, if you're interested in Western Washington State investing, I do know some about the area, especially near the many military bases (where I worked for about 6 years). I really like spreadsheets -- learning a new formula is kinda my jam, so I'd be happy to brainstorm on efficient analysis. And on the personal side, I'm a dad, an amateur brewer, and can give you some ideas on your next vacation.

[Robert Freeborn]

Hi Wes! Welcome! 

The market here is, as i'm sure you know, tricky! With high prices, you have to go through tons of deals to find the right one. But it's possible, and the NAS on Oak Harbor is a great place to start, especially with the force realignment there!

I've been looking at multi families in the greater area (from Oak Harbor to whatcom county) but most are way overpriced. Anything you find where the numbers work is almost guaranteed to be a BARRRR. 

It sounds like what you are really looking for are boots on the ground.

Hopefully I've said enough keywords to get other local investors involved, lol. Anyway, welcome to the site. Send me a message if you'd like to connect privately; I'm always happy to talk to fellow investors, especially fellow/former service members.