All Forum Posts by: Tom Shepard

Welcome to BP @Wes Farmer !

Fellow pharmacist and investor here!

Look me up when you come to Nashville sometime!  To do that you can go to someone's profile and send a message or make a colleague request and send a message with it!  

Great place to get your education !  Enjoy!

Just whatever you do, make sure if you are looking in the Hendersonville area, you do NOT want to commute down Vietnam Veterans Blvd.  I have a co-worker in my day job that makes that drive, and she complains about it all the time and is late for meetings on a regular basis due to wrecks.  It's rough.

Great story @Devan Mcclish !

I am sure we are going to continue to hear great success stories from you!

Love the part about the listing contract on the napkin!  Keep rocking it!

@Juliette V.

Check out Smyrna or even Murfreesboro if you don't mind being 30 miles out.

Smyrna is fairly close to Nashville but I know you can buy under 200k there.  Just bought a 3/2 1300 sq ft house there for under 130K (only 3 years old).  And you can get a house with that country feel if you want.

Redfin lists 7 properties under $200k with at least a 1/2 acre of land.  Check it out!  

If you need a realtor for any areas south of Nashville we have a great one!

Don't invest in Smyrna though...we don't need the competition!  Just kidding of course!

@Seth Martin

Unfortunately being discovered by 100 people a day...that's the number moving here according to the Nashville C.O.C.!

@Pedro Martinez

Sounds like you should do REI part-time for a while, and work your way up to full-time. That job that you don't like may provide health insurance, steady income, AND W2 income to make it easier to get loans, etc.

That being said, I'm with @Jeff Rabinowitz if you really hate your job, find another one, then proceed with building your REI until you: A- Find out if you like it. AND B- get enough REI investing that you can see a way to support yourself if you could do it full-time.

Also, if you are really interested, maybe find a career in something real estate related. Work for a property management company, be a mortgage broker, whatever aspect of REI interests you the most!

@Jose Torres

A nice haircut (which I am sure you already have!) and a neat shave will go a long way whatever you wear.

I'm with the business casual group on this one.  Even my bankers these days wear button down shirts and khakis.  

AND if you need to save money and still get some nice clothes, you should go to a Goodwill store that is in or near a nicer area of town.  They have great clothes available at amazing prices.  I just got a Coach brand tie there for $2! (required for my W-2 job).

Good luck!  

I agree with @Seth Martin!

Nashville may not be as exotic as many of the locales mentioned on here, but we do have our advantages:

1.  Much easier to get to!

2.  Great weather most of the year (minus usually a week or two in January or February)

3. Music City -- NOT just country but ALL kinds of music. But if you are into country come visit the first week of June for CMA fest. We often take those days off work and do the "tourist in your own town" deal for those 4 days!

4.  Casa Shepard -- with plenty of space for you and yours, just let us know when you might come by!

5.  No worries about "What is IN this soup I'm eating...???"

6.  You CAN drink the water!

7.  Everyone who visits has a fantastic time!

@Dwayne George

Just went through a similar process/feeling myself!  Seller said rent was $975, sounded great.  I asked for a copy of the current lease...suddenly the seller said, "oh, I was thinking about another property.  This one rents for $825".  And it turns out THAT was just raised to that with a new lease signed last month!  Also, I insist on not only seeing the lease, but seeing deposits for the last year or however long the tenant has been in place if less than a year.  Otherwise the seller says, "oh yeah, they always pay on time".  Hey, I'm sure there are some straight shooters out there, but as Ronald Reagan always said, "Trust but verify".  Honest people won't mind, and the crooked ones will be exposed.  Good luck, sounds like you got a great deal.  Take the advice of  @Jordan Williamson and learn all you can, and enjoy that "mailbox money"!

Welcome to BP @Bryn Joynes

As you are seeing, great people on here, and great tools and learning materials!

We live in Williamson County, but so far all of our investing is in Chattanooga and Rutherford County, but we are continuing to look at other areas nearby.  Williamson is just so expensive!

Good luck to you!