All Forum Posts by: Brendan M.

I'm pretty new to REI, and I've been reading a few books lately, but a lot were written before 2008. Not too say they have bad info because I think a lot of the principles hold true today and are excellent advice, but there is certainly a naivety in some of them that is only apparent in retrospect, especially the ones who talk down the RE bubble doomsayers of the time (I'm looking at you, Larry B. Loftis!). Is there anything we learned from the housing collapse that we didn't already know? Is the way we estimate appreciation or the value of a deal any different than it used to be? Any context, wisdom, or anecdotes are welcome.

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

Thanks for the advice. Regarding property management, were I to decide to buy, I'd have to hire a property manager, at least while I'd be gone. 

I like the idea of getting to know the area while I'm there and building my knowledge base and connections online while I'm gone so that way it doesn't feel like a complete loss of time. The rational half of me knows it's probably best to not even consider trying to buy for the first time in such a short window, buy my excitable half doesn't like the idea of waiting so long.

Hey everyone!

So I've been researching real estate investing for a while now and I think could be a really good fit for me (specifically small multi-family properties/house hacking). I'm ridiculously excited to get my feet wet and start working towards my first purchase. However, I'm currently in the military at a VERY isolated location so I don't really have the opportunity to check out the local market (nor am I really interested in buying up here). That said, in April I'll be PCSing (moving) to Colorado Springs, a city I absolutely love which opens up tons of possibilities. I will also be leaving the military after this assignment so I plan on staying there.

Unfortunately it also sounds like I'll get deployed for 6 months at the beginning of July, which in and of itself I don't mind, but with that sort of delay it feels I won't really have the opportunity to start looking at properties until this time next year.

That said, would the time frame from April to end of June be enough time to effectively identify and seal the deal a property? I have no idea how long buying a property takes, but my understanding is that it can get drawn out. Obviously I wouldn't want to make a time pressured or emotional decision, and if there's nothing that cash flows properly for me then I wouldn't take the dive. I just feel like waiting an entire year is a long time, especially if I could get a head start investing before I leave. What would you do in my shoes, dip into the market if conditions looked right, or wait until next year? Thanks!

Hey!

I'm really excited to get involved both with real estate investing and with the bigger pockets community. I'm in my mid-20s, currently serving in the military (don't plan on staying in for 20, not really sure what I'm going to do when I get out) and I hope to use real estate investing to help me reach my goal of someday achieving financial independence. Multi-family properties seem to be pretty appealing to me; house hacking could be really up my alley. Additionally I'm really into DIY renovation and construction projects, though admittedly my skill set is limited to only a few months experience apprenticing as a maintenance worker/handyman (but I loved every minute). I'm really looking forward to getting involved in the community here and hopefully learning some useful knowledge along the way!