What is your reason why?

[Chris P.]

I have spent the last few months digging into different aspects of RE investing. One of the best questions I have heard asked is what is your why? Why are you doing what your doing, or what was the motivation that got you into real estate investing. 

My why is to build a stable future, while being able to spend quality time and enjoy life with my family that is not dependent on the politics and bottom line of a corporate position. 

What is your why?

[Anthony Gayden]

Originally posted by @Chris P.:

I have spent the last few months digging into different aspects of RE investing. One of the best questions I have heard asked is what is your why? Why are you doing what your doing, or what was the motivation that got you into real estate investing. 

My why is to build a stable future, while being able to spend quality time and enjoy life with my family that is not dependent on the politics and bottom line of a corporate position. 

What is your why?

 I have a lot of 'whys'. They are constantly evolving and changing.

I consider my 20's as this dark cloud of mere existence. While others were out there enjoying college or discovering themselves, I was working at Wal-Mart on the overnight shift. I was low-income, and I lived in the hood. That wasn't the worst part though, I truly believed that there was nothing better out there for me and nearly gave up hope.

I made the choice to turn my life around, and a few years later I was on the right path having earned my Bachelors degree and a decent paying job. I bought a house and some nice furniture (all with credit).

Then the recession happened. I was laid off from my employer and then unable to find a job for 6 months in 2009. My world was crashing down and my brief stint in the middle class was over shoving me even lower on the ladder than my years at Wal-Mart. I was living off of unemployment and credit cards. My debt skyrocketed and with very little income I could only make minimum payments. I was worried about losing my very modest home.

At that point my "why" suddenly took shape. I swore to myself that I would never allow this to happen to me again. I would never rely on a single source of income. I would never allow my debts to get so out of control. I would never live beyond my means. I would do anything to make sure that I was secure in the event of another recession.