Hello from New York!

[Tony Scarangella]

Hi BP! My name is Tony Scarangella and I currently live in Queens, NY. I’m a newbie investor with exactly zero deals under my belt. A little about me and how I found the community...

For the last 10+ years I’ve worked a modest W-2 job in the field I went to college for. I enjoy it and don’t plan on leaving any time soon. That said, needing to commute to Manhattan daily meant high rent & small apartments, but COVID & WFH may have changed that calculation.

I asked a close friend of mine (who has purchased several houses over the years) about the process of buying a home. Of which, at the time, I knew nothing.

I had the typical "buy the biggest and best property you can afford" mindset. That conversation lead to him telling me about buy-and-hold, house hacking, BRRRR & BiggerPockers. My mind was blown! I didn't fully understand a lot of it, but I was in. By the end of it all, he had ordered Rich Dad Poor Dad, Set For Life, and a few others for me.

That was in October 2020. Since then, I've been buying and reading books at a clip I never imagined, listening to at least 1 REI podcast a day, and reading great posts here by you all (thx, btw)!

Although I like my W-2, I never thought I’d have a realistic option to do something else, until now... and that’s exciting.

I’m hoping to accomplish 1 of 2 goals (if not both) in 2021.

-Find a house hacking opportunity

-Invest in a long distance property

The first goal, since I may need to be tethered to NYC, might be tough and could be put on the back burner.

For the second, the obvious question is, “where!?”

And that’s where I’m at now. I’m in the process of doing research, analyzing deals, and trying to be ready to for the right opportunity. As I read and learn more I go back & forth on strategies, so that’s something I’ll need to nail down too.

I hope this long post was worth reading. Thanks... and hi!