All Forum Posts by: Christopher Levine

@Antonio Ramirez

@Chris Levarek 

Thailand, Dubai... I've heard it all. Luckily, I don't think I'm the type. (I'd hope at least) Thanks for your insight!!

@Thadeous Larkin

I'll put that one at the top of my reading list. Thank you :)

@Rodolfo Canon Awesome, thanks for setting me straight!

@Frankie Woods Thank you! I agree. I'll probably work on my real estate education while I'm overseas and stay posted to listings for multifamily homes in the Colorado area. What tools would you recommend using to research and monitor the market while I'm away? Also, do you recommend doing the rehab myself on those BRRR rentals or getting a contractor?

@Kyle Doney Like I mentioned, I'm still learning and researching my options and I am not yet familiar with the market in Colorado.  Of the niches/strategies I've reviewed, I think I would like to start out by house hacking and use my discretionary/passive income to invest in multifamily rental properties. Boulder seems like an attractive candidate right now due to the steady influx of college students, and I could land a job in nearby Aurora fairly easily after a year of working overseas.

@Kevin Grinstead Great advice Kevin. I am eager to get started, however taking a contract job would broaden my repertoire and help me secure a better day job in Colorado. As it stands now, my priority is to secure cash reserves and a 9-5, then to invest part-time and build up enough passive income to ditch the job. What do you think?

Thanks everyone!

Hey BP peeps,

How would a college town like Boulder be for house-hacking/rental property investing?

i.e. will a constant influx of college students make for reliable rental income? Do college students generally make for good tenants?

I'll be transitioning from the military in about a year and I'm eager to begin rental property investing with the cash reserves I've built up during my enlistment. I'm considering moving to the Greater Denver area; I figure that the variety of markets across areas like Denver, Aurora, and Boulder - all in relatively close proximity - will present a lot of flexibility and choices as I build a rental portfolio.

I'm a novice, however, and trying to form a well-educated starting strategy. Could someone experienced help me feel this knowledge gap?

Thanks!

Thanks again, JD. I'll be sure to reach out if I end up in your neck of the woods.

@JD Gunter

All, thanks for the thoughtful responses

@Chris Lopez 

@JD Gunter

Great advice. I'll likely keep only 6 months worth of my earnings in liquid or cash reserves, and use the remainder to seek out potential rental properties. I figured with that sort of capital reserves, I would 1) Have increased flexibility for the inevitable mistakes as I am starting out and 2) Have the purchasing power for multifamily homes. To that respect, do you think it wise to start by house hacking in Colorado with a triplex or quadplex? Do you think the banks would still back a VA loan for a 4plex if I have no renting history?

Thanks!

I'm 22, currently an active duty Marine in San Antonio, Texas. Serving has given me the great advantage of a debt-free college education and some specific, potentially lucrative skills. I'll be separating in fall 2019, however, to start my life as a civilian.

I've known that financial freedom is one of my most important goals for some time, and I'm pretty dang confident I have the work ethic and dedication to make it happen. I'm new to real estate investing, however, and I've got some big choices coming up when I leave the military.

Here's my Plan A at the moment...

I could likely save up to a ~$100,00 cushion by taking an overseas contracting job upon leaving the military, then come back to the states after one year for a mid-level position in the greater Denver area - at which time I could likely earn ballpark $40-50k at a full-time job (vacancies are typically in Aurora or Denver, possibly Colorado Springs.) I'd live off my salary there, frugally, while investing part-time.

I'm young and have a lot of flexibility, but much, much learning to do. Any advice you could give to help inform my post-separation decision or refine my plan would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!