Newbie from Fort Worth, TX

[Jeremy Mabry]

Hello BP Community!

My name is Jeremy and I'm a real estate novice. I'm 35, have a young family (my wife Heather, 3 year old son jack, and 1 year old daughter Delly) and have recently left the active duty Air Force.. I'm still in the Reserves however and currently spend most of my time in Del Rio, TX while we plot our move back to Fort Worth. We are looking to buy in the next 1-3 months a quality, fair market property that we can live in for 1-3 years and ultimately convert into a rental. With that said we're looking for any and all advice regarding neighborhoods, emerging neighborhoods, lenders, etc. As for my real estate background, I own a SFR in Tucson, AZ that I've rented out for that past 5 years with relatively little drama.

Longer term... I want to get involved with this business. Particularly, I think I'm mostly interested in getting involved with buy/hold/rent long plays, but wouldn't shy from learning about any aspect of real estate investing. I'm also interested in learning/assisting/collaborating with renovation and rehab work. Essentially my interests are varied, but my experience and expertise are pretty low so my focus is on education, networking and finding mentorship. My goal is simple, financial independence. I have a good job with a good income, but nothing in this life is guaranteed. I have yet to formulate a plan or strategy for achieving this freedom, but that's why I'm here... I look forward to chatting and learning from this community and getting started on this adventure! 

[Kenneth McKeown]

@Jeremy Mabry Thank you for your service! I actually spent four years in the Marines and there are a ton of veterans on this forum - leveraging their VA loans to the fullest. The good news about Fort Worth is it's much easier to find a rental that will cash flow then in Dallas. There are a ton of areas you can look into that will work as a part time living arrangement then you can move in 1-3 years and turn it into a rental - just as you said. The beauty of this business is there is so much to learn and so many different avenues that you can go down to create different kinds of income. Having a family, wife and kids will limit your creativity a little bit but I think you have the right idea of buying a house and in a few years turning it into a rental.