All Forum Posts by: Haley Graham

@Thomas S. I most definitely will. 

@Jonathan Holmes Thank you, I will get some books added to my library!

@Dmitriy Fomichenko I have a job that allows me to listen to the podcast ALL day long, so today was my first day on there and it has inspired me to dive in more, thanks for the link.

@Amy Beth I never thought about stopping contributions because of the compound interest I'd lose out on, but I see that now. It'd be more ideal for growing my real estate. All great advice, thank you.

@Spencer Stensrude Thanks! I would not have thought of a mentor.

@Thomas S. I totally agree. I think I'm underestimating how much a baby will change my life. I guess it's the denial of losing my freedom I've always had. I'll have to slow down a bit and see what this baby brings to my life. 

@Jay Helms I appreciate that! I will read the blog. And I definitely understand finding my why will be the motivation for everything I do. 

Hello! For a bit of background, I am 23 years old, single, and PREGNANT (I know, cliche.) I'm not a single mother though, I will have help from the father (that info plays into my money expenditures). I live in Eastern Iowa, working full time making about $30,000 gross a year. I have no college degree, I am in the Army Reserve, and I will be renting a room with a family member once their home is built. I will be paying around $400 month total for living costs (minus food & care), and $350 a month for daycare (YIKES). I only have one debt and that is a car loan I still owe about $8K on ($200/mo payments). I have plenty of money in a Roth IRA that I continuously max out, as well as a profit sharing account through my company, so I do have some investments started. I also have about $10K sitting in my bank waiting to be used on a smart decision. So HERE is my question... Where in the heck do I start? I am brand spanking new to the idea of real estate investment (reading, listening to podcasts, talking to experienced folk), and I'm having a hard time telling if a home is a 'deal' or not in my area. I know exactly where not to get a house, but I'm not sure I'm in the market at a good time right now. What would be the VERY first... And maybe second and third (hah) steps to getting into purchasing a rental? I've got contractors who would do work for free for me (connections, eh), so I am open to doing some dirty work (not necessarily flipping). I also like the idea of duplex's bringing in that double income. Or even, the house hack. I should mention, I have a couple great realtors already.