From my sudo-mentor, the good life

Want to say hello to everyone and introduce myself a bit as well as leave you with some inspiration.  Just getting started here since May and learning the ropes of REI and investing in general.  I aspire to have my portfolio off the ground and running in order to match my retirement pay I will be getting in the next 5-6 years.  That being said I have never owned nor had an interest to own a house.  This will be my very first purchase and very first time owning and operating a home.  So like most first time buyers I decided to start big..  I am actively looking for my very first house hackable 3-4 plex home.

I know there are going to be challenges and things are not going to be easy starting my venture in the New England part of the US but I have to start somewhere and I have to start now.  As of this week I have officially (since may) joined bigger pockets, listened to every single podcast (some many times because they were just so profound), found a great real estate agent who has me linked in to the MLS so I can search actively and get alerts when new properties show up, started to get a system in place to evaluate investment purchases, driven and looked at many dozens of homes, and am currently actively seeking VA financing for my first purchase.

Sounds like a lot?  It is.  It is very overwhelming to work a full time job 28ish days of the month in the Army (sometimes traveling all over the country and world) and then get off work and go hunting for properties and learning the REI ropes.  Maybe I will go into my story a bit later but for now I will leave it at that.  There are 168 hours in every week and luckily for you and I we can choose freely what we would like to do with those hours.  I choose to spend my free time learning and working on investing.  Choose wisely!

So rather than go on for a few pages (which I have been known to do) I will cut this very first post short and leave you all with a little inspiration.  I started a journey on 1 January 2015 to discover myself and figure out things around me.  I ended up reading a book that completely blew me away... Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.  This 1000 page masterpiece was finished in record time (most of it on the long road trip from my school in Augusta, GA to Vine Grove, KY picking up my last bits of my life there along with my race car) and onward to my new life in NH/MA.  I shortly after discovered a guru (yes a guru) who really opened my eyes to a lot of new and exciting things.  Not all gurus can do this for under $997.  Did I / am I paying for it? Why yes I am but it has value add beyond the initial youtube selling video (2 hours worth).  Its my decision and it was money that was being used somewhere else already.  I just repurposed it. 

Long story short Tai has shown me how important books are in all aspects of life not just real estate or business...  but everything.  Answers are there.  All you have to do is open the book and read.  Being a BP junkie I hear a lot of people talking about great books (most of which I have read).  If you need answers beyond BP with investing or just in life I recommend getting some good quality books and allotting time everyday to read something.  I have, since 1 Jan 2015, read over 80 books.  No lie.  I have found things in there that have completely blown me away and opened my eyes to so many more things... Its actually what brought me to BP in the first place.  Rich Dad Poor Dad? Im sure you've heard of it.  I don't think I would have found that book (at least not in time to do something with it) without the journey that I have been on this year.  So as a small gift I am leaving a bit of knowledge/inspiration from one of my mentors for you to enjoy and do with what you will.  In the best interest of my account I will refrain from advertising but if any of you would like to know about my mentor please message me and I will get you the info.  Its not free...(the book of the day review is...) but its worth the tiny investment.  (if there is any kind of violation here please feel free to edit or let me know!) Until the next blog.  Regards.

Sam Zemurray - the man who started "banana wars" and went from a poor immigrant from Russia to insane wealth as the king of banana importing.

Key takeaways:

1. There is money in what others consider trash: He started building his wealth by selling "ripes" - overripe bananas that no other company wanted.

2. Focusing on a niche: Small can be big in the long run. As long as there's a decent volume of buyers, there's opportunity.

3. Verify what you're told: Sam used to say, "Go see for yourself; don't trust the report." Wise words.

4. Understand every detail of your career/business: The Banana King used to say, "There is no problem you can't solve if you understand your business from A-to-Z" - details matter.

Next time you pick up a banana, remember there is an insane story behind it.