Looking for Opinions - 25 years old and transferred to Austin...

[Jeff T.]

Hello BP Community, I've read enough great opinions on REI strategies here in the Texas forum to fill the Library of Congress. Y'all are truly the best.

This is a "Put Yourself in my Shoes" post... Imagine you're new to the real estate game looking to invest in the Austin area. Your goal is relatively simple, "Make the smartest investment from a cash-flow and/or appreciation perspective with a 10 year time horizon". Some background criteria you just learned about yourself: in your late 20s, engaged but no children, both work salaried jobs in downtown Austin, handy doing light renovations, up to $150k available cash down, credit score of 800+.

So the question is, what savvy strategy would you take to kick-start your investment in Austin area real estate? Would you look for a flip in Hyde Park or target multi-family down south in San Marcos? Go big on a quad near UT or rehab a duplex in East Riverside? Maybe you'd only target off-market deals because Austin is way too expensive... Whatever your thoughts are I want to hear them!

Feel free to get as detailed as you want, I think this is where the real gems sometimes come out ('Don't even consider looking south of Stassney street','UCFU always gets the best rates', 'Check out that little pocket in South Lamar on the east side', 'Go to the tax auction early and chat people up a bit'). Thanks in advance!

[Kris Wong]

@Jeff T. I would house hack. I would definitely not do what Jeff Sprunger is suggesting (not trying to offend anyone, but I have a very different opinion here). Put your money to work for you. Find a nice, small multifamily (2 - 4 units), in an area you want to live (with some appreciation), with as much or as little reno as you are comfortable taking on. Have someone else pay your mortgage, so that you can be accumulating capital to find your next deal. Having 2 salaried jobs with no kids and effectively no mortgage payment means you will have the ability to save quite a bit of money each month. Always keep your money (and hopefully other peoples' money) working for you.