Introduction to BiggerPockets

[Evan Stewart]

Hello BiggerPockets, my name is Evan and I have been listening to the podcasts for months now and finally decided to pop in and introduce myself.  I am about to be 29 and currently active duty Navy stationed near the D.C. area.  A little about myself, I basically spent most of my life in Tennessee and went to college at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  Then I spent some time just working several different jobs.  I then decided to enlist in the Navy and that path has sent me to several great places and ending here in Virginia.  I plan on getting out at the beginning of 2021 and moving back to San Diego where I met my beautiful wife.  I have many questions about several different thing. 

Since this is just an introduction I do not want to be too long winded so my main question is should I get involved in any local real estate groups in my area even though I do not place on investing until we move back to San Diego?

I am looking forward to having more of a presence on here so I can learn as much as possible, so thank you for the future support.

[Patricia Steiner]

Evan!  Welcome - and thank you for your service.  It's a big deal.  And, yes, join a local real estate group because the principals of investing are the same - just the markets are different.  Set aside some time to read the various posts here on BP and connect with some BP resources who are in San Diego.  You'll want to find a realtor who is experienced in working with investors, a good lending source or two, and more.  

A good place to start investing is always by owning your own home:

"The median net worth of an American homeowner is $231,400, according to the Federal Reserve. That is more than 44 times the median net worth of renters, which is $5,200. The median net worth of homeowners surged by an inflation-adjusted 15 percent from 2013 to 2016, according to the Fed, while renters actually became poorer over that time."

Please feel free to message me if I can be of any help.  We're glad you're here.