Helow from Ocean Gate, NJ

[Lee Garrett]

Hi,

My name is Lee Garrett and my wife and I are new to real estate investing, We live in Ocean Gate, NJ and we were one of many families affected by Hurricane Sandy last October. I am a construction manager for the Navy and a disabled veteran. Hurricane Sandy was kind of my wake-up call. We had "done everything right" up to that point and were really just kind of on auto-pilot. We didn't lose everything in the storm but we lost a lot. We were one of those unfortunate families that have too much to qualify for assistance and not enough to bail ourselves out. So we dared to imagine a different future, one that would allow us a little more resilience. And here we are. We don't have a lot of experience in real estate but we are learning. I have been in and around construction since high school and I am not exactly a young man anymore.

In my current position I frequently write scopes of work, prepare cost estimates and negotiate contracts. So I feel that some of my experience will transfer well. I have made many mistakes in writing statements of work and I have learned a lot from those mistakes so if you have questions on SOW's please feel free to ask. I am used to dealing with a very diverse group of people and in general get along with people well.

My wife works for WAWA convenience stores at their Bayville, NJ location. She too is pretty comfortable talking to people so between us we believe that we can do this.

We have two boys in college so our resources are somewhat limited, and as I said earlier in this post Sandy kicked us pretty hard. That just means that we need to maximize what resources we do have and get the most bag for our buck. I am very familiar with construction of all types (from stick framing to structural steel) so if anyone needs help with construction issues I may be able to offer some assistance. I am also an Electrical Engineer by education so I may be able to assist with some specific electrical questions as well.

So that is me. I am looking forward to a long and profitable relationship with the folks on the biggerpockets forum.

Lee Garrett
Ocean Gate, NJ