All Forum Posts by: Stephanie Money

Don't invest in BCS over Houston right now. 40% of the rentals in the BCS area have been on the market for over 90 days. Not a good sign for an investor. I cold call a lot in both areas and the Houston market is so much better right now for both investors and homeowners.

As another 20-something investor, here's my thought process. 

In the grand scheme, you won't be missing out on anything that you won't be able to do later on in life; given you actually achieve financial freedom with the time you dedicate to it at a young age (i.e. in your twenties). 

Think about it. If you can pass on (most) nights out drinking, (expensive) traveling, and going to (most) concerts in your twenties to be frugal and buy properties/invest, then when you're in your late twenties/early thirties you will be financially free enough to do all of those aforementioned things on a larger (better) scale. 

Examples: 

• Instead of getting general admission tickets to a concert, you'll be able to buy back-stage access and meet the artist
• Instead of going out to your local dollar-beer night on Thursdays, you could afford to go out and get bottle service (if that's your thing) 
• Instead of going to Chipotle for lunch religiously, you could take all of your close friends to a more expensive restaurant on you- without having to think about it
• Instead of backpacking across Europe and eating ramen the whole time, you'll be able to travel comfortably and experience whatever intrigues you, passing up on nothing (again, if that's your thing)

These are just quick examples off of the top of my head, as they are the things that I myself end up 'passing' on most frequently. That said, if you view it with intention outlined above then you won't really be 'passing' at all, and it becomes more like 'trading'- looping it back to Mindy's excellent quote on living now versus later. I'm happily going to trade all of those 'left list' items for the ones on the right, and more importantly the sense of achievement that I get from being on the grind now while everyone else focuses on making excuses and 'enjoying their youth'. 

It's critically important to note that these things are not mutually exclusive. Doing both is very possible. I know you are aware of this reality because you say you're frugal already. In short- take the plunge; you'll be glad you did.

@Stephanie Money. Great name - you're destined for greatness - I'm sure!

Set goals or objectives, and work toward them. One of my goals when I was younger was to increase my Net Worth by XX Dollars per year. This came about sometime by Appreciation of my investments, others years by exceeding my goals in Real Estate Sales, etc. 

There is a time for work and a time for play! I'd say GO for both in Moderation! Work - Work - Work is destined to make you a dull burned out young lady and a less than optimum employee. Set a goal to do XX (Travel / Visit) as reward for accomplishing your goal of BLANK.

Above all else, don't scrimp on investing in yourself. You are your most important product. I've seen REALTORS who wouldn't blink an eye about spending several thousand Dollars for a new Laptop Computer, but wouldn't spend $500 to attend a Seminar that could make them thousands of Dollars.

Good Luck and Gig'em! 

Stephanie 

Howdy! I agree College Station is a great place to start and I’m certain it will continue to be strong rental market. I have done a few deals in college station and encourage you to be looking now. Look for properties that are currently not leased and that have out of town owners. Try to locate owners that only have one property in BCS; if it is not leased then they might sell.  I love the South Gate area but those properties have continued to escalate in value and almost pricing them out of reach for investors. Also look for condos near Harvey. Good luck and let me know if you have any other specific questions. 

I’m happy to answer any specific questions as the come up. I used to do long term tenants, but recently switched to AirBnB. So far, so great! Many of our guests have come to B/CS for things other than football. This weekend is special olympics. Let me know if I can help. (Also a realtor!)

Great! Thank you Chris I will keep your contact information close and contact you when I am ready to start the process. I am hoping to start the process in a few months.