My Introduction to Bigger Pockets

[Kevin Pillow]

Hi Everyone,

This is a general introduction post about me and how I came to learn about bigger pockets and my progress so far. 

About Me: I'm from the Ft.Lauderdale Florida area, I've been in the Air Force for the past 9 Years(now stationed near Destin, FL), I'm a relatively new husband and father, I earned my RE License for Florida in 2020 and I'm working to build my own RE business. 

My first Bigger Pockets book was The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No [and Low] Money Down by Brandon Turner in 2018 and to be honest I was pretty skeptical about some of the methods for owner financing so I decided to keep learning more about real estate investing. Then I ran across the BRRRR book by David Greene and I was hooked. After reading that book I had a road map and decided to become a licensed agent in 2020. I got my license right before my deployment so I had some down time to study more about real estate sales without the pressure of having to make sales right aways. But it also muddied the waters because there was so much to learn about being a solo agent. Originally, the plan was to sell real estate to fund my investments in BRRRR properties and to also have unique access to real estate opportunities. But like all plans there were challenges and my first child was born shortly after my return which made it a little harder to devote the time required for a new agent to grow their business. In my first year I was able to leverage my Sphere of Influence to close 4 transactions, 2 on the buyers and 2 on the sellers side. I was also able to work with a great mentor that guided me through the entire process and even certain setbacks like an appraisal tidewater, VA loan speak for a home that didn't appraise for the contract price. I have been able to develop my skills for working with traditional home buyers and sellers but now I want to pivot towards growing my network and experience in serving investors. A big reason why I am here is to learn what investors are looking for in an agent, increase my own investment skills and connect with like minded individuals.

I'm a huge believer in continuing education and audio books have changed my life because they allow me to learn while maintaining a busy work/life schedule. I would like to share what real estate investment books have had a huge impact on my strategy moving forward. Big shout out to Anson Young, his book Finding and Funding Great Deals has to be one of the best hidden gems with process driven systems for finding off market properties using listsource.com and other methods.

1. Finding and Funding Great Deals: The Hands On Guide to Acquiring Real Estate in Any Market- Anson Young

2. Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat: The BRRRR Rental Property Investment Strategy Made Simple - David M Greene

3. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor - Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, Jay Papasan

4. Flip: How to Find, Fix and Sell Houses for Profit - Rick Villani, Clay Davis

4. Hold: How to Find, Buy and Rent Houses for Wealth- Steve Chader, Jennice Doty, Jim & Linda McKissack, Jay Papasan

5. Raising Capital for Real Estate: How to Attract Investors, Establish Credibility and Fund Deals - Hunter Thompson

6. Fundamentals of Analyzing Real Estate Investments by Simon He - This is a Udemy.com course but it's absolutely worth it when they have one of their frequent sales.

7. Last one is - How to Analyze a Wholesale Deal in Real Estate by Simone He- Also from Udemy.com, If you're looking to understand the 70% rule, what an MAO is or how to structure a deal depending on if the buyer is a flipper or a buy & hold investor, this one is gold.

That's it for my intro and I really appreciate you taking the time to read this. I look forward to contributing and connecting in the future with some really great people on here. 

Take Care!