New Member in Portland Metro Area

[Eric Oblepias]

Hello everyone,

I've been an avid listener of the BP podcast for the past year during my commutes to university and work.  Now that I've graduated with a good job lined up I'm finally ready to take the first steps in beginning a new journey in buy and hold real estate.

I'm currently living in the Tualatin/Tigard area and working as a mechanical engineer for a large semiconductor firm. Though I will be able to make a comfortable living working my current job alone, I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket nor do I want to work for somebody else for 40-60 hours a week until I'm too old to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I'd love to connect with and get to know who else is investing in this region, especially those of you following the BRRRR model! I've started with performing some initial market analysis for some of the neighborhoods in my area, and trying to find a baseline for what's hot.

My current goals for this year are to become very comfortable with performing comps in my area, getting pre-approved for a mortgage to find out my buying power with conventional lenders, connect w/ a investor friendly agent and wholesalers to align on my investment criteria and begin the search!  As I do have a regular full time job I'm not in a hurry to snatch up a deal, I'm in this for the long haul.  I do, however, want be in a position to identify and act on a deal if one came my way as soon as possible.

Are my goals realistic or should they be more aggressive? Is the BRRRR model feasible in this region, I know the market is very hot around here. Let me know what ya'll think, I'm excited to connect!

[Jack Butala]

@Eric Oblepias hello there and welcome to BiggerPockets!  

Based on your intro, your goals seem realistic. You can be firm without being super aggressive. Here is what I would do if I were you starting out:

First, utilize all the free resources on here to gain valuable knowledge from experienced real estate investors. Listen to the podcasts. Read the blogs and articles. Take notes.

Second, network with other investors on here. You're already off to a great start. Keep the momentum going. The experienced investors on here will make sure that your deal is done right.

Finally, consider joining your local real estate investor's club. It is there you can "rub elbows" with investors in your area who are actually "out in the field" doing real estate deals.

We are happy to help in any way we can. You are not alone in your real estate ambition.

Congratulations once again and I wish you the best in your real estate investment career.