Mike From Bergen County, NJ

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Hi everyone!

My name is Mike Fitzgerald. I live in Bergen County, New Jersey about 5 miles outside of New York City. As of right now, I have no previous experience in real estate.

I was introduced to the idea of FInancial Independence by the Bigger Pockets Money Podcast about a month ago & I've been hooked on the idea ever since. My first step toward this goal is to pay down my $62k in student loan debt, which I'm in the process of refinancing down to under a 6% interest rate right now. My goal is to pay this off within the next two years & then turn my attention towards investing in real estate.

Over the past month, I've listened to many books, including some from BP (How to Invest in Real Estate, Long Distance Real Estate Investing, The Book on Rental Property Investing, Investing in Real Estate with No & Low Money Down, & I'm working on the BRRRR audiobook now). I have also attended the last two webinars & plan to upgrade to Pro once I get closer to paying off my loan debt.

While I'm paying off my loans, I am also trying to save money so I can house hack once the loans are paid off. After that, since where I live is one of the wealthiest counties in the country (and no I do not live in one of the wealthy parts), I think my best bets will be to invest outside of my market with the BRRRR strategy, but I am also open to the idea of investing locally at the right price.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself & I hope everyone & their families are staying happy & healthy!