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Updated about 3 years ago, 11/22/2021

User Stats

3
Posts
4
Votes
Jess Zavoral
  • New to Real Estate
  • Pensacola, FL
4
Votes |
3
Posts

First Post! New to Real Estate!

Jess Zavoral
  • New to Real Estate
  • Pensacola, FL
Posted

Hello hello!!! Wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Jess and I am new to real estate investing! I currently work full time at a Fortune 100 company, but over the last month I've had an incredible epiphany about my life and where it's headed. I stumbled upon the real estate investing world and knew this was going to be the big change for me! I am extremely passionate and driven to make this happen for myself and for my family. I have read a number of real estate books from the BP publishing site, listened to quite a few podcasts, watched a lot of YouTube videos and have been doing a few other various things to gain as much knowledge as possible about investing.

I lived in St. Louis, MO for the past 10 or so years, but I have recently moved to Pensacola, FL. My current goal right now is to break out real estate investing into bite sized pieces so that I can learn a little bit about a lot of things. From the information I have gathered so far, my near term goal is to invest in multifamily properties. If you’re currently investing in multifamily, I’d love to hear where you’re investing, and any tips/tricks you learned along the way!

Fun fact about me is I played college basketball at a Division II school in St. Louis, MO. I am also a massive fan of Tony Robbins and have hired a personal life coach through him that I have had for over 3 years.

Looking forward to collaborating with all of you and I’m very excited to be part of the BP community!

Jess

User Stats

209
Posts
138
Votes
Caleb Drake
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Pensacola, FL
138
Votes |
209
Posts
Caleb Drake
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Pensacola, FL
Replied

Hey Jess, I own two MFH and a couple of SFH as well. I'm an agent in your area and would love to connect! MFH are very low inventory in the Panhandle and a lot of them are in not so great shape. Not sure if you have anyone helping you, but I'd love to be part of your team starting out!

User Stats

530
Posts
364
Votes
Barry Ruby
  • Developer
  • Boulder, CO
364
Votes |
530
Posts
Barry Ruby
  • Developer
  • Boulder, CO
Replied

@Jess Zavoral Congratulations on taking this step. One of the most valuable and important things you can do is to understand the industry vernacular and how it is applied to a real estate asset.

Feel free to DM me and will send a few pro forma snap shots.

I am completing a video that will walk you through the anatomy of a commercial real estate project in the form of a Multifamily value add transaction and send that along as soon as I it’s done.

Wishing you the best success

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User Stats

1,260
Posts
1,382
Votes
Andrew Freed
Agent
Pro Member
  • Investor
  • Worcester, MA
1,382
Votes |
1,260
Posts
Andrew Freed
Agent
Pro Member
  • Investor
  • Worcester, MA
Replied

@Jess Zavoral - I invest in small multifamily and love the scale. You might as well purchase 3-4 units in one deal as opposed to one with a SFH. I went from 1 unit to 8 in 3 deals due to investing in small residential multifamily properties. I recommend seeing if you have the ability to house hack in your area first, which is how most multifamily investors get started.

I also recommend seeing what wealth you have that can fund your real estate transactions. Do you have equity in your primary that you can tap into via a HELOC or refinance? Can you borrow against your 401k? Understanding how you plan on financing your real estate in the long term is really important. Once you get into your first couple properties, you start running out of funds and unable to scale at the same level you plan on so having a long term strategy on funding your real estate goals is key. It's definitely a frustrating feeling once you get stuck at this point. Personally, I ran out of lines of credit and liquid assets and am planning on partnering with a private money lender to fund my deals moving forward. You could also take the route of becoming an agent or wholesaler to grow your portfolio quicker. Either way, long term planning is very important. Good luck and feel free to reach out with any multifamily related questions.

User Stats

141
Posts
130
Votes
Jeff He
  • Investor
130
Votes |
141
Posts
Jeff He
  • Investor
Replied

@Jess Zavoral

Welcome! And congrats on taking the first steps towards real estate investing. I currently have a portfolio of multifamily properties. Happy to chat!

User Stats

4,180
Posts
1,417
Votes
Justin Windham
Pro Member
  • Solo 401k provider
  • Denver & Hilton Head
1,417
Votes |
4,180
Posts
Justin Windham
Pro Member
  • Solo 401k provider
  • Denver & Hilton Head
Replied

@Jess Zavoral

Welcome to Bigger Pockets!

You’ll find plenty of friendly, knowledgeable people willing to respond to your posts.

I really like the alerts feature that can quickly guide you to current topics that may be of interest: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts


There are a few self-contained guides that you can access here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides

  • Justin Windham
  • User Stats

    1,403
    Posts
    1,314
    Votes
    Ryan Thomson
    Agent
    Pro Member
    #1 House Hacking Contributor
    • Real Estate Agent
    • Colorado Springs, CO
    1,314
    Votes |
    1,403
    Posts
    Ryan Thomson
    Agent
    Pro Member
    #1 House Hacking Contributor
    • Real Estate Agent
    • Colorado Springs, CO
    Replied

    Jess I had a similar epiphany a couple years ago. I'm excited for you. House Hacking is a great way to get started. 

    If multifamilies were too pricey you could look at house hacking a SFH. Criteria I look for in a SFH house hack: an easy way to split into multiple units, a walk out basement, an ADU, a garage I could convert, or lots of bedrooms.

    For resources I really like the following House Hacking episodes on Bigger Pockets Podcast: #352, #252, #350, and #249. Also Craig Curelop's book on House Hacking is also a great resource.

    business profile image
    House Hack Colorado Springs
    5.0 stars
    38 Reviews

    User Stats

    3
    Posts
    4
    Votes
    Jess Zavoral
    • New to Real Estate
    • Pensacola, FL
    4
    Votes |
    3
    Posts
    Jess Zavoral
    • New to Real Estate
    • Pensacola, FL
    Replied

    Thanks for the responses everyone!! Your input is sincerely appreciated!!!! 

    User Stats

    1,172
    Posts
    666
    Votes
    William Allen
    • Investor / Wholesaler
    • Nashville, TN
    666
    Votes |
    1,172
    Posts
    William Allen
    • Investor / Wholesaler
    • Nashville, TN
    Replied

    @Jess Zavoral, welcome to the world of REI! I have lived in Pensacola 4 different times and there are a lot of great investors there. I still invest in the area and we have one dedicated flip going on there right now. I just got back from a Tony Robbins event this week, it was amazing. With that mindset you are setup well for this business!

    User Stats

    56
    Posts
    33
    Votes
    John Whitfield
    Pro Member
    • Investor
    • Asheville, NC
    33
    Votes |
    56
    Posts
    John Whitfield
    Pro Member
    • Investor
    • Asheville, NC
    Replied

    Hi Jess, and welcome!  I'm living in St. Louis currently, and I've started investing here with small multifamily.  I've only been at it for a year or so, but if you'd like any info or have any questions about the STL market, I'd be happy to connect.  Best of luck to you!

  • John Whitfield
  • User Stats

    7
    Posts
    3
    Votes
    Taylor Celestin
    • New to Real Estate
    • Charlotte, NC
    3
    Votes |
    7
    Posts
    Taylor Celestin
    • New to Real Estate
    • Charlotte, NC
    Replied

    Hey Jess! Welcome to the BP community! Like you, my wife and I are just getting started (do not yet own our first STR) but are incredibly passionate about real estate and the freedom it can create for our lives! We've been active on here for only a couple of weeks, and have made many great connections! You can join the BP community in your area and use that to network - and you can connect with both lenders and real estate agents on here who will also help you with your goals! Welcome and best of luck!

    User Stats

    3
    Posts
    4
    Votes
    Jess Zavoral
    • New to Real Estate
    • Pensacola, FL
    4
    Votes |
    3
    Posts
    Jess Zavoral
    • New to Real Estate
    • Pensacola, FL
    Replied

    Thanks @Taylor Celestin for the insight!! Best of luck to you and your wife as well!!

    User Stats

    3,757
    Posts
    3,106
    Votes
    Kenneth Garrett
    Pro Member
    • Investor
    • Florida Panhandle/Illinois
    3,106
    Votes |
    3,757
    Posts
    Kenneth Garrett
    Pro Member
    • Investor
    • Florida Panhandle/Illinois
    Replied

    @Jess Zavoral

    Congrats on your desire to seek more out of life. I've conducted a number of flips and own a number of rental properties in Illinois. I bought a STR last year in Miramar Beach and it went fantastic. I self manage everything. I'm looking to relocate to the Florida Panhandle in the next year. If your looking for advice pm me and I'd be glad to help.

  • Kenneth Garrett
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    User Stats

    1,534
    Posts
    253
    Votes
    Bhekizwe M.
    • Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
    253
    Votes |
    1,534
    Posts
    Bhekizwe M.
    • Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
    Replied

    Hello @Jess Zavoral

    Welcome to the BP Community.Sound like you are ready to roll in investing and am looking for to hearing more of the investment journey

    I had never heard of a full time investor until reading of Rich Dad's cashflow quadrant and Biggerpockets specifically for real estate.I''m yet to pull down my first deal

    Nevertheless, its a career with time needed to spot those bargains and value adds.You get better and better with time and effort applied to sourcing leads, making offers, putting the financing together etc

    All the best going forward

    User Stats

    31
    Posts
    7
    Votes
    David Windsor
    • Lender
    • Teaneck, NJ
    7
    Votes |
    31
    Posts
    David Windsor
    • Lender
    • Teaneck, NJ
    Replied

    @Jess Zavoral
    Big Welcome to the Real Estate World!
    Congratulations on taking this important step.

    User Stats

    4,256
    Posts
    1,441
    Votes
    Julio Gonzalez
    Pro Member
    • Specialist
    • West Palm Beach, FL
    1,441
    Votes |
    4,256
    Posts
    Julio Gonzalez
    Pro Member
    • Specialist
    • West Palm Beach, FL
    Replied

    Hi Jess, welcome to the community! 

  • Julio Gonzalez
  • (561) 253-6640
  • User Stats

    220
    Posts
    100
    Votes
    Michael Hamby
    Pro Member
    • Flipper/Rehabber
    • Pensacola, FL
    100
    Votes |
    220
    Posts
    Michael Hamby
    Pro Member
    • Flipper/Rehabber
    • Pensacola, FL
    Replied

    Hi Jess,

    I would suggest joining the PIG group for local networking and investing education.    There are some decent deals available on the market as far duplexes go in Pensacola.

  • Michael Hamby