Beginning Investor in Lafayette, LA. Let's get going!

[Brady Higginbotham]

Hey guys! Just wanted to introduce myself as a beginning investor in Lafayette, Louisiana!

Don't let the young face fool you; I'm actually in my late 20's (no, I swear :D). I've been a software engineer for almost 10 years, and while it's certainly rewarding in its own right, it can be extremely stressful and draining mentally. As a result, it's not uncommon to become worn down and ultimately burn out. I can tell this is beginning to happen in my own career, and so I've been looking for alternate roads to gradually turn onto.

This ultimately led me to the likes of REI and BiggerPockets. I started out listening to nearly every podcast episode and was immediately hooked - not in a delusional, "make all the money tomorrow" way, but moreso by the possibility of carving my own path and working to build my own family's future, not simply someone else's.

After a lot of personal research - scouring sites, boards, and way too many articles - I finally felt like I was prepared for the next giant leap small actionable step and created a BP account this weekend. Since then, I've been tearing through the Ultimate Guide and even stumbled upon a BP meetup group locally. (Lafayette isn't a huge metro like, say, an Austin or LA, so this was pleasantly surprising!) I also purchased Dave's new book on note investing after hearing the podcast as it seems like a good way to build up some cashflow and gain experience.

I'm mainly interested in SFHs and multi-family properties at the moment, though from a knowledge standpoint I'm admittedly still a ways away from being able to take on that "first one." I'd honestly love to get into commercial RE long-term, but I see that as more an end goal once (see if) I've obtained the necessary amount of capital and experience down the line.

Anyways, sorry about the novel; thanks for reading, though! Can't wait to get to know some of you guys. Oh, and just know - Lafayette may not be LA, but we absolutely have some of the best food out there here in Cajun Country. So if you're ever passing through, come say "hi!", and whatever you do, don't skimp on the boiled crawfish or jambalaya!