Athens, GA - UGA Grad learning the ropes of REI

[Dave Barry]

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to introduce myself... I've spent the past couple of months bingeing the BP podcasts so I figured I would finally check out the forums. Seems like you have a great community here!

A quick bit about me- I'm a UGA graduate finishing up a degree in Computer Science and Data Science (Go Dawgs!). I've lived in Athens for the past couple of years and it's hard to not fall in love with the place! My new job as a software engineer is going to take me far out of state but I'd love to own a slice of heaven here. My family lives in the Atlanta area and they are very interested in investing with me in a place here that we could use for rentals (or possibly football games in the future). Again - I'm brand new to this field but I'm very eager to learn and appreciate any and all help!

A big thanks to all of you for creating this forum in the first place!

Best,

Dave

[Rick Baggenstoss]

@Dave Barry  I got my MBA at UGA and loved Athens.  What's not to love?  Athens is a great town and practically a suburb of the 4th fastest growing metro in the country.  No doubt that Athens will be an integral part of Atlanta in your lifetime.   The point is Athens would be a good place to start your investing career.

You should research a few strategies which are not mutually exclusive -- student housing, short-term rentals, co-living, house hacking, and BRRR. You might want to buy a big house/multifamily for students/friends to live in or something very nice in downtown for short-term rental.

Like you, I traveled a lot after Athens.  My first house sat empty for 5 years while I was on the road.  It was rented to friends.   It worked out well to have friends to come home to and to pay my mortgage while I saved up for the next investment. 

Good luck and let me know when you're in Atlanta.

Rick