Hello everyone!

My name is Marissa and I am from the North NJ/NYC Metro area. I am 31 years old and have always wanted to get into REI, but due to my job I never really found a "right time." For the past 7 years I have worked in the cruise industry as a shipboard hotel officer. This job has afforded me the opportunity to save a good chunk of cash (though I'll admit I have not saved as much as I could because I have enjoyed traveling so much [no regrets!].) As my industry is currently shut down, I decided now was the time to really get serious in getting the ball rolling.

I have been listening to the BP podcast and BP Rookie podcast as much as possible (probably about 25 episodes so far), attending the weekly BP webinars, and am reading up a storm. So far I have read David Greene's BRRRR book and his Long Distance Investing book.

I am primarily interested in building a buy and hold portfolio that produces enough passive income to quit my job. In saying that, I should clarify that I don't actually want to quit my job as I enjoy working and especially my line of work, but that I want to make the amount of money that equates to that feeling of "freedom" where I am getting up for work every day because I WANT to and not because I HAVE to. I also want to retire by the age of 50, if not earlier.

I am just starting out but feel I am most interested in the BRRRR strategy. However, due to my home market not being the most conducive to this strategy, I will probably need to pick another market and of course BRRRRing out of state is a very intimidating task. Moreover, no one in my family or close circle has done anything like this, and I'm getting a lot of skepticism from them, particularly in regard to investing out of state being a "bad idea."

If anyone has done this on their first deal and has any advice, I'd appreciate it. I'd also love to connect with anyone who shares the same goals, strategies, challenges, etc.

Thanks!

Marissa