New Investor Currently Living Overseas

[Zach Bollman]

Hello all,

Thought I would come over here and introduce myself. A little background: I'm originally from the St. Louis, Missouri, area having grown up to the west of the City, although I now live in Cambridge, UK pursuing a masters degree. Following the degree, I'll relocate to Sydney, Australia which I'll call home for the foreseeable future. 

Prior to my current endeavor, I have worked as a bank officer and real estate attorney. As a bank officer, I underwrote residential and commercial mortgages. As an attorney, I represented developers, REITs, multi-national corporations, and local governments in all aspects of real estate including asset acquisition, development, leasing, and disposition. As a result, I understand the financial and legal aspects of real estate but cannot say I know the first thing about actually being a real estate investor. However, I'm looking to change that.

Due to my location, I've been following discussions, podcasts, etc. on long-distance investing and am quite excited by the prospect of not being geographically bound to a certain market. If I had stayed in St. Louis, I would probably have limited my focus to that market.

Due to my current studies and lack of income, I'm currently helping my father get started as a real estate investor (the blind leading the blind so to speak) rather than pursuing deals for myself. Together, we've been searching for single-family and 2-4 unit properties in the St. Louis area (he prefers them to be local).

I hope to be able to contribute to the forums as an attorney and prior banker, and ultimately as a real estate investor. Thank you all for this wonderful community -- I cannot wait to be a part of it. 

Best,

Zach