Beginner in Columbus Ohio

[Jacob Edwards]

Hello, I am someone who is starting to scratch the surface of the idea of real estate investing. Through a recommendation of a work colleague, I came across this website and have been browsing for a while but feel like sooner rather than later is a good time to start interacting with others here on the BP forums. 

A brief introduction of myself - I am a recent college grad who has been working in the public accounting industry for the past few years. While I don't particularly mind what I do, I certainly don't see myself doing it forever and view REI has a solid, long-term option to create other income streams for myself and a option I can start out in while maintaining my current job. Since moving out of my parents house for college I have only rented for housing purposes. While I know it is not 'throwing away money' because I am paying for shelter, it kind of has always felt that way and I have committed to the idea of putting my money to work by purchasing my first property when my current lease is up in the summer of 2020. Though in saying that, I am getting ahead of my goal timeline that I have been mapping out in my head.

First, my goal is to continue to browse BP, listen to podcasts, read books, and take in as much useful knowledge as I can about the in's and out's of the real estate world. Secondly, once I have a good bearing, my goal is to get myself out there and attend some local events, meetups, or whatever else I can find relating to the world of real estate to again further my knowledge and start networking with local individuals. In setting these two objectives, I hope to help set myself up for the major milestone of owning my first property.

In regards to the first property, I am currently heavily set on a multi-family which I plan on using as a primary residence, a cash-flow stream, and a tool to continue learning about managing properties and tenants. Although this will be way down the line, assuming all goes well, I would eventually like to expand into additional multi-families and eventually get into commercial real estate or looking into expanding my reach outside of the surrounding Columbus area.

With all of this being said, I welcome all advice and help pointing me in the right direction. Thanks.