All Forum Posts by: Chris Thomas

Not planning to move. I grew up there there until I was 19 and then moved to SF. Been out here in the Bay Area now for over 16 years. I'd like to invest in property closer to where I currently live but because of the high entry price out here I'm looking to other markets. The only reason I'm considering Alabama is because I at least know something about the area and go back once a year or so to visit family. 

I'm also thinking about Sacramento, but again...the price of entry may be too high if I want to get started sooner rather than later. 

Makes sense. Thanks again! I guess a single family may be easier to juggle until I'm more seasoned. 

@Jon Q. Thank you for the advice! Do you think something smaller like a single family or duplex is smarter for a first time investor? 

@Jack Eyer Thanks! I'll keep that in mind. I haven't really looked into Turn Keys too much but I'll do some research. 

@Christine M. The food is pretty great! There's lots of new, cool places popping up in Birmingham. If you're heading back, let me know, I'm sure I can throw you some good recommendations. How did the the meetings go? Is turnkey the way you're going?  

Hey Tony! 

Thanks for the reply. I feel like I need to do some more research before I have a solid number in mind.  If I had to ballpark, I'm aiming to save 15-25k for a down payment. Of course, I know there's probably opportunities out there to get into the market before having that much saved. 

My family is in Irondale and I know the surrounding Birmingham areas really well. That would probably be my confront zone to start out, however, I'm open to any other areas/suggestions to take a look at. 

Thanks again! 

Chris Thomas

Hello Everyone,

My name is Chris Thomas and I currently live in San Francisco California. I’m a Producer for a large video game publishing company in the North Bay. I’ve been in the industry for 16 years, working at companies like LucasArts, Disney, and 2K Games. To be perfectly honest, I’ve been very lucky in my career and could easily see myself working in games for the rest of my life. That brings me to investing. While I love my job, I’m getting to the point where controlling my destiny and having financial freedom is more important to me.

I’ve always been fairly interested in Real Estate. When I was young my father always talked about getting into that world but never truly pulled the trigger. He went to some seminars and probably blew some money on getting guru type help but it ultimately didn’t go anywhere.

I’m very early on my journey to purchasing my first property. So far, I’ve created a separate account which syphons off 20% of my monthly income to save for my first down payment. In the meantime, I’ve been reading The Book on Rental Property Investing, listening to all the podcasts on BiggerPockets, and casually strategizing with friends and family.

My short term goal is to buy a quad, get my hands dirty and then once I feel comfortable, start scaling up. Unfortunately, the Bay Area is a good bit out of my price range…like it is for many people. I’m toying with the idea of investing in Alabama where I grew up. My mother and brother still live there and I think could help. I haven’t started running the numbers on deals there yet but plan to start soon (I haven’t fully grasped how to run all the numbers yet…but I’m getting there).

In a perfect world, I'd be able to afford a duplex or quad in this area (near work) so I could live in one of the units and rent the rest. However, even with FHA rates, that type of property is too high for me right now…at least I think it is.

Anyway, that was kind of longwinded…but that’s where I am. I know I have a long way to go but I’m determined to make it happen as soon as I can.

Chris Thomas