A very frozen hello from Western New York!

[Brad B.]

Hello everyone.

My name is Brad Bartram and I hail from Western New York (just southeast of Buffalo).

Aside from the home I currently own, I have no real estate buying experience. Ironically enough, I did extensive undergraduate work in analyzing real estate transactions and bringing unscrupulous flippers in Buffalo to justice. Through the process of going through filings and looking over contracts and other instruments, I gained a nagging interest in the whole activity. After a bunch of years, I figure I'm in a position to move forward.

My overall goal is to invest in property not only for a profit, but also to work on trying to better the area I live in. It sounds corny, nieve, and idealistic, but that's who I am.

I'm currently in the research / education phase of things. Much of my time has been spent running what-if scenarios on local properties to try and get a feel for what numbers make sense. It's a daunting task and I think slowly I'm getting it. Ultimately, I'm looking to buy and hold though the prospect of a fix and flip might be an experiment further down the road.

I've been on this site for a a few hours as a member, though I've been reading the blogs and articles for a while. Most of you are over my head and areas of expertise, so I look forward to lurking and learning.

Brad