All Forum Posts by: Ryan Jackson

Side note on the VA loan, it was a huge advantage when the market turned. I was able to refinance twice at the original appraisal value while people with conventional loans were not able to refinance due to the negative equity. Just a bit of information for someone's knowledge base.

@Tim G.

Recently moved back to this area, spent several years in Santee as a kid. (Wish the parents had bought a bunch of lots back then in the 80's and 90's!) Deffinetly interested in whatever meet ups occur. I am currently part of that group who feel like they can't afford SOCAL even with some capital built up, would be thrilled to get some local investor insight!

Not true. You can have more than one VA loan if they are under a total amount. I don't know all the details. There may be other legal issues in regards to a subject to for a VA loan though.

We have several American Express charge cards. You can transfer the points to other programs such as airlines and hotels. This may only be due to the Platinum, which has many other travel advantages. Unfortunately it has a huge annual fee, $450 I believe. That fee is waived for active duty military. There are also businesses that do not take American Express due to their high fees.

@Account Closed only use ONE VA eligibility! I am also a mil-to-mil couple. We bought one home on my VA and still have my wife's eligibility. This will allow you to buy two investment properties with little money out of pocket at the sacrifice of having to live in each place for a year. We recently were actively looking for a personal home in the San Diego, we settled for base housing. I found a great vet who works for a local lending company and his number one concern is to educate vets on VA and other loan options. If he gets your business great, if not he hopes you have learned something that will improve your financial decisions and you will recommend or return in the future. If you would like his info message me!

If you do not currently have PCS orders you will be fine. Also be aware that you are able to purchase up to a four unit home with the VA loan. I am an O but I know several E-9s who have bought a 3/2 home at every CONUS duty station and now have impressive real estate portfolios generating solid passive income that they continue to reinvest. Search for VA loan information in the forums as there are several threads that have discussed this. I would also scour the internet at large, be careful of any sites that are pushing VA loan products.

I am totally an amateur here, however all this talk of appreciation and break even while paying down principal would indicate you need a very good W-2 job to cover unexpected expenses (or a lot of capital available). We were looking in the San Diego market for a personal home to live in for a few years until we moved on. The only way the numbers worked was if you figured in an estimated appreciation. For us, that seemed like a potential recipe for huge losses. Whenever we found distressed properties there would be several cash offers close to ARV. We have elected to see if that markets cools and look elsewhere for investing while we wait.

As mentioned saving $50k in the first five years of enlisted military service is possible, but would be difficult. You would have to be very frugal and take advantage of the free/reduced recreational opportunities. My biggest piece of advice to save that amount of money would be to stay away from alcohol.

First don't act like an 18 yr old and use a professional picture. You will have to overcome a natural bias against you due to your age. Do not give them a substantiated reason to doubt you. I am not an experienced REI, however I work with a large number of young adults executing duties that could have serious consequences in the military. I would seek out an employee who could teach you the mistakes you would make before you make them. Hustle hard and save your money in the process to establish your own portfolio. Once again I am not an expert, but I wish I had developed some construction experience in my younger years.

Why not build enough cash flow to pay for college without selling? I would look into the capital gains cost of selling an investment to pay for college. What if the person decides college is not for them? I imagine real estate would have provided the best return compared to reclaiming a 529.