New Member Introduction - Mel R. from PHILLY, PA

[Melanie Ruff]

What's up BP Community?! 

My name is Melanie and I am officially a member of BiggerPockets as of 5 hours ago! I am from and currently reside in Philadelphia, PA. I am an Account Manager (sales) full-time and have a goal of using real estate as a means to financial freedom and eventually break away from the hamster wheel feeling of my 9 to 5.

I am currently in the process of acquiring my first property. I started looking at houses on Friday. I am very interested in buying and holding small multi-family properties. For this first investment, I am looking to rent out one or two units while I occupy a unit as well. I feel good about the decision to move into real estate and feel confident that I will not let myself fail. I know there is ALOT to know and learn, but that's with any new venture in life, right? With resources like BiggerPockets, and the network of people I have in my current circle, I know this will be a rewarding adventure. Of course there is some apprehension in regards to knowing if i'm picking the "right" first property, and having to move from a fantastic neighborhood (luxury apartment 5 min from my office) to a not so great neighborhood as a sacrifice to live in a house that's within my budget. 

I am very excited to jump right in and connect and soak up all of the REI information I can. I would love to connect with any and everyone, particularly in the Philadelphia, Jersey, Delaware area. I look forward to this real estate journey!

-Mel 

[Troy Sheets]

Originally posted by @Melanie Ruff:

What's up BP Community?! 

My name is Melanie and I am officially a member of BiggerPockets as of 5 hours ago! I am from and currently reside in Philadelphia, PA. I am an Account Manager (sales) full-time and have a goal of using real estate as a means to financial freedom and eventually break away from the hamster wheel feeling of my 9 to 5.

I am currently in the process of acquiring my first property. I started looking at houses on Friday. I am very interested in buying and holding small multi-family properties. For this first investment, I am looking to rent out one or two units while I occupy a unit as well. I feel good about the decision to move into real estate and feel confident that I will not let myself fail. I know there is ALOT to know and learn, but that's with any new venture in life, right? With resources like BiggerPockets, and the network of people I have in my current circle, I know this will be a rewarding adventure. Of course there is some apprehension in regards to knowing if i'm picking the "right" first property, and having to move from a fantastic neighborhood (luxury apartment 5 min from my office) to a not so great neighborhood as a sacrifice to live in a house that's within my budget. 

I am very excited to jump right in and connect and soak up all of the REI information I can. I would love to connect with any and everyone, particularly in the Philadelphia, Jersey, Delaware area. I look forward to this real estate journey!

-Mel 

Hey Mel, welcome! To make my first investment, I had to move out of my rented newish construction townhome with a garage and parking pad into a 4-unit MFH I bought with an FHA loan and then house hacked. Absolute best decision I ever made. This was in Brewerytown probably 7 or so years ago and the area was pretty rough then. It was quite the sacrifice at the time but I can't recommend it highly enough. If you want to grab coffee I'm happy to chat and see if I can give you any guidance.