Hello from Baltimore

[Calvin Douglass]

Hello all,

My name is Cal Douglass. I'm a licensed architectural engineer with 8 years of experience practicing mechanical, plumbing and fire protection design in Baltimore, DC and the surrounding areas. I currently live in Baltimore with my wife, baby and dog.

I purchased my first home as a primary residence in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore in 2012. The area is attractive to young professionals, and I always knew that I'd be renting out the property when the time came to move on. I didn't have any real estate ambitions beyond renting out my first home, but when researching the rental process earlier this year I came across the Bigger Pockets website... Needless to say, my real estate aspirations changed.

I'm planning to shift more of my focus towards real estate in early 2018, when my three partners and I will officially start an acquisitions and holdings business following the BRRRR strategy. My team includes a licensed Architect, a CPA, and a residential contractor--we're energized and excited to get started. My team and I are aiming to acquire and hold 4 leveraged properties by the end of 2018. Our preliminary 5 and 10 year goals are $1M and $10M in leveraged assets, respectively. I view these goals as well within reach considering the diversity of knowledge that my team brings to the table. We each have a strong work ethic, and we are well positioned to push each other to achieve our potential.

I come to this community seeking advice, guidance and vicarious experience. My team has the resume and equity to acquire bank loans and hard money, and the only thing standing in our way is lack of knowledge and experience. We plan to jump in with both feet using Bigger Pockets as our springboard--we'll see how it goes! We anticipate that the first 2 or 3 deals may be a bit hairy, but by the end of 2018 we should be on track to achieve our 2022 goal of $1M in leveraged assets.

Please feel free to reach out with advice, $0.02, or even just a figurative slap on the arse for encouragement. Really looking forward to contributing to and learning from this group.

-Cal