New to Real Estate Investing

[Stephen Aki]

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie here.  I got my real estate license this year and just started delving into real estate investing.  It is something I wanted to do for a while but it wasn't until this year that I have started to research it in depth. A former co-worker of mine (Navy junior offficer) recommended the site so after checking it out I joined it and have been searching topics now for a couple of weeks.

I'm hoping to find people in my area, Palm Harbor down to Sarasota Florida, that are also doing real estate investing as there is so much to learn.  Although i'm a newbie when it comes to real estate, i'm also a 30+ year Army veteran who retired as a senior leader and strategic planner back in 2015.  I spent a few years as a senior manager in the defense industry overseeing a multi-million dollar vehicle program and am a certified Project Management Professional. I'm the guy who will get it done.   

I actually did a flip back in 2000 when I was stationed in Beaumont, TX.  I bought a house for $80k and sold it for $200k. With the exception of the electrical, I did all the work myself and got pretty good at hanging drywall!  It should have only taken me a few months but 9/11 happened and I got really busy for the next three years and could only work on things during the weekend...sometimes.  I finished the house right before my next assignment and sold it in less than a month. After that, ,my assignments didn't really give me the opportunity to research real estate investing.  I deployed a lot so was a bit busy.

So now I am researching the subject to better understand it and have decided on cash flow as the strategy I wish to pursue.  I've been listening to the podcasts, reading blog subjects and have started to download recommended books on the subject.  I am hoping to make my first buy in 2019 and will start working towards my goals from there.  I am truly grateful that this site was recommended to me and look forward to meeting, learning and eventually contributing to the discussion that is real estate investing.  Or, if anyone is into restoring classic cars and needs a hand, give me a holler. I do have a large workshop with a two post lift and three cars that I am working on. I'm always up for a challenge!