New member from New Bern, NC

[John Burke]

My name is John Burke. I am from New Bern, which is eastern NC. I am married with one six year-old daughter. I am an Army veteran and currently work as a military contractor. I am currently working full time and attending college full time for an Associate's degree in Entrepreneurship.  I currently own one rental property in El Paso, TX that was originally my primary residence during my time in the Army. I left the military and decided that instead of selling it, I would find a management company and use it as a rental property. I watched my mom flip properties when I was younger, and my aunt is currently a real estate agent that flips when she finds a good deal. I have no money for retirement and  am terrible at saving money. I do however have a good work ethic, so I decided that I was going to capitalize on what I had seen work and begin looking into real estate. I was speaking with a co-worker and he had a similar plan. He introduced me to BiggerPockets about two weeks ago. In the time that I've been on BP, I've learned that I don't know anywhere near as much as I thought I did. I also learned that if I am willing to read these forums and listen to the podcasts, I will gain the tools that I need to succeed. My current goal is to buy one investment property by the end of 2018, whether it be a rental property or a flip. In three years, I want to have a total of five rental properties, including my first which needs to be paid down and refinanced to become lucrative. I look forward to speaking with you all and am glad to be a part of this community.