New Member in Iowa!

[Zachary Kowalik]

Hello, My name is Zach Kowalik and I live near Ames, Iowa home of Iowa State University. The city has unemployment hovering close to 3% and a college rental market so robust that many students claim they can’t find a place to live. In other words, it is a good place to invest in real estate…if you can find a deal. I am 23 years old and worked full-time as a mechanic for 5 years, but currently I am a student working towards my undergraduate in Finance. I am married and thankful that my beautiful wife supports my interest in real estate! I plan to build my portfolio as a hobby with hope that it will allow me to be self-employed/semi-retired by age 50. My experience in real estate started when I begin doing rehab work on Fix and Flip properties for my father. I have since done work for a few other investors as a hired hand. I also have a limited amount of experience managing one property that my father owned and I now plan to start investing on my own. My initial goals in real estate are to learn as much as I can and start small. I have one unique investment underway (more on that later), and I hope to do one wholesale before I graduate. I also hope to start a REI Club at my university. I plan to focus on cash (fix and flips, wholesaling) early on, and then shift my focus to cash flow (Fix and Hold, Buy and Hold) as my net worth grows with time. Of course if a good deal comes along the formula may change. Also, I am fascinated by “unconventional” deals and I regularly look for unique new ways to make money in real estate. As a newbie I would love hear your thoughts! Any investors in central Iowa?