New Investor from South Florida (but aspiring to be nomadic)

[Bryan Troll]

Hey all, my name is Bryan and I'm located in Stuart, FL -- on the east coast of FL, about 30 mins north of West Palm Beach. I've always been interested in real estate and have looked at investment properties on and off for years (viewing about a dozen, almost making an offer on a few, actually making an offer on one) but without any real guidance I just never felt right about taking the leap (which is a shame). I like learning new things and if I'm going to do something in life I want to do it well, so I'm glad to have found the BP podcasts and forums. 

I'm very fortunate that my father taught me to save and invest from a young age and that has done very well for me. I bought my first stock (AOL) at the age of 13 and watched my $835 investment balloon up magically to over $12k as the company and the stock dominated (and on my pitch to invest, my dad invested 10x as much as I did at the same time, reaping 10x the benefits :coughcoughGrandCardone: ). Unfortunately I didn't know when to sell so I watched it fall back down to about $3k after that. Still a great return, but not quite the same cinderella story that it had been. Either way, I was hooked on investing and have continued to hustle, live a frugal lifestyle, save, and invest in the stock market over the past 20+ years which brings me to present time. I've been doing this all alone thinking I was strange and unique this whole time, until lately I have discovered there are many others like me out there who are seeking financial independence and early retirement :D. 

So here I am, 35 years old, ahead of the curve with savings and investments, but never having owned any real estate, ever. I could continue to stay the course with the stock market, but I feel like there's got to be more out there -- active investments that will pay bigger returns. I'm interested in building long term passive wealth and like the idea of rental properties -- small multi units seem to be pretty appealing right now. I want to build a passive income to provide enough income to free my time up to do more of the things I enjoy -- travel, photography, and just about anything that gets me outdoors and keeps me active (with my dog of course). I'd really love to find a way to be able to be a long distance landlord which I know has its own set of challenges, but it would provide me with the freedom to travel as I wish. I've been learning here and elsewhere and have a solid foundation and understanding, just no actual real world experience so I know thats a very necessary next step. 

So there's a little about me. Hope that wasn't too long of an intro -- and hope to talk with more of you here soon, and maybe even meet some locals. Maybe even find someone to partner / apprentice with so I can start stockpiling the knowledge and hands-on experience to get this ball rolling. 

-Bryan