All Forum Posts by: Justin Goldwater

Thanks for your reply Brett, I loved Louisville from my brief encounter (I just went once on a weird road trip to go to Churchill Downs- not for the Derby, but just to soak up the history and go to a couple races.)

I'll do a deep dive into the cities you're mentioning and also Cincinnati of course - lots of love for Cincinnati it seems! 

Thanks again

Awesome - yes, thank you - North Carolina is rapidly moving up my list!

Thanks for the reply Erika.  I really need to look into Maine.  I've spent a little time in the mid-coast area (Camden, Belfast) but haven't spent much time in Portland.  I did love the landscape and there's so many unique historical buildings.  I wonder if I'd be out of my element in terms of fixing up something built in the 1700s but man what a challenge that would be. :{)

(that little emoji has a mustache that I associate with Mainers for some reason...)

Thank you again for your reply

Thank you Marc - I've heard great things about Columbus.  The midwest is full of potential - it's almost hard to choose a central location but I'll do some more research on Columbus for sure.  

Thank you Hallie!  Great suggestion!  I have applied for jobs teaching in North Carolina before. There really are a lot of good schools. I've had friends both from there and who have moved there over the years (Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Asheville (of course) and it's always sounded pretty amazing to me.  I really appreciate your reply.

Thank you for your reply!  I'd be lying if I said Colorado Springs / Denver / Boulder wasn't very high on my list.  When I started to form this plan last year (pre Covid) I knew the market there was pricey, but it's gotten kind of ridiculous since then so I've shifted my attention for sure.  But it would still work for so many reasons - just means waiting a little longer and saving more $$$ I think.  Thanks for fueling my confirmation bias! :)

And thank you for the other suggestions.  I will be ramping up my research as travel feels more normal and I can get to some of these places early to mid-summer once I'm not teaching.... might even do a multi-state motorcycle trip and visit as many possible areas as I can, so I really appreciate your suggestions.  

Hello everyone - New to BP and very interested to explore the site.  I have been considering jumping into real estate for a few years and I figured what better time than when the market is absurd.  I like a challenge. 

My background is in art and design and I'm currently looking to relocate to a new market depending on where I find my next teaching job, as I've recently finished graduate school, have taught for a major university, and want to find a more affordable market now.  (Currently located in California.)  I am skilled in rough and finish carpentry, drywall, electrical, interior design and light architectural renovations having spent my career in design/build, theater/film sets, and also assisting friends with small home design projects.  My interest as an investor is in flipping (live-in flips) and house-hacking duplex-to-fourplex properties (whichever comes first I suppose.)  I am eager to find an ugly duckling that I can use some design expertise and years of frugal fix-it knowledge to improve for low cost, high quality, with lots of sweat equity.

Here's the thing.  I am in a position to move anywhere in the country to continue my academic career.  There's two scenarios:

1.  Hired full-time for a faculty position at a university and move wherever that is.  (Waiting on a few potential outcomes here.)

2.  Not be hired full-time (the most likely scenario, unfortunately) and CHOOSE where to move in order to relentlessly apply for adjunct/part-time teaching jobs at colleges/universities in the area. 

I may post this in another forum as well, but here's the big question:

If you could move ANYWHERE in the country right now, where would you suggest?  Want to a market that fits the following criteria=

- Must have a handful of colleges/universities with creative arts departments, within two hours drive.  (any type - Public, Private, Trade schools, Community Colleges etc)

- NOT one of the super in-demand markets (think LA, SF, Denver, Austin, etc) so it will have fixer-upper starter properties in the 75-200k range

- A market with good chance of future economic success in terms of local employers, especially in tech, renewable energy, entertainment, manufacturing, etc

- Not the most crucial, but:  kind of a fun place to live!   Live music, museums, outdoor stuff to do (hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, etc)

------ thanks for any insights! -----

Incidentally, I won't be buying anything in the super near term, and will likely need to rent for a while first.  I am lucky to have a potential partner who will help get a loan since I don't look super attractive to a lender on paper at this point.  I have enough in the bank for a decent down payment and rehab costs for my first place, which is safely parked and waiting to get this adventure going. 

Nice to meet you!