Zane Garrett new poster from Austin, Tx

[Zane Garrett]

Hey guys new to bigger pockets!

Here my story and how I became one of bigger pockets newest members. Sorry if its a bit long, I started getting carried away.

My names Zane Garrett. I've been interested in Real Estate for years now, but have had no idea how or where to start.

A little about my background. I'm 29 years old and have lived in the Austin area most of my life. I lived in Italy for 3 years when I was younger (military brat) and I believe this had a large impact on me. I was able to see extraordinary works of art, amazing sculptures and breathtaking cathedrals and castles. The architecture was incredible! Even as a young kid I was fascinated by the detail and craftsmanship that went into such intricate designs.

As I got older, heading into high school, I took CAD, architecture and interior design career path. Unfortunately I didn't pursue any of these into college due to insufficient funds and ended up working a normal job.

After my real world beat down I knew I had to make a change. The "normal" 9-5 life isn't for me, but how could I escape? I had no money or higher education.

It was around this time I was offered a job.. I knew it wasn't going to be fun and it was dangerous but it paid well. I took a job working the oilfields of Ohio/Pennsylvania. I had nothing to lose (except my limbs) and set off across the country where I did nothing but work and hoard my savings for 2 1/2 years. You had a lot to talk about with the other guys since you were working 22 hour shifts with each other for days at a time. I mentioned my real estate ambitions to crew members on a couple occasions. One guy actually gave me 3 books by some guy Robert Kiyosaki. I read Rich Dad Poor Dad and was immediately obsessed. I poured through the books he gave me and stumbled across a podcast called bigger pockets. I convinced myself real estate was my ticket out and began researching and studying relentlessly.

Eventually I was able to put 20% down on a house in Austin. I was able to pay off a new car that mostly sat in my garage 1000 miles away. But the best part was, I had a place to rent out to friends while I was away.

Well not too long after this the oil industry crashed and it was no longer worth it to continue working there. The sacrifice and risk were too great for the money. I quit and moved back to Austin. It seemed my dreams of paying off my house and starting a real estate empire were over.

I immediately landed a construction job as a CDL driver for a small construction/plumbing company. It paid the bills and hey I was still getting hands on experience on the inner workings of real estate. At least that's how I chose to look at it. Things were going great. I was back in Austin, I enjoyed my job, and was house hacking with friends! We just finished up a major project at work and.... I was laid off. Gah!

My friend helped me land a job at Samsung where I'm currently still employed. Its a decent job, pays well and I don't do much of anything, but as I mentioned before the 9-5 hurts my soul.

After talking to friends and family they recommended I get my real estate license. It seemed like a logical first step into the business, so that's what I did!

And.. here I am.