After spending 25 years as a Software Engineering and Product leader, I’m now exploring the world of real estate investing (REI) and looking forward to learning from all of you.My goal is to leverage my current investments and savings to build a real estate portfolio that will eventually allow me to transition away from my current career.

I am an engineer who works out of his basement everyday and rarely is on the phone.

Where I'm at if you change the size of the window by 5% or more you have to have engineered drawings showing the changes.  

@Kate Zieverink McMinn we just hosted a webinar with a friend in Orange County, CA that used to be a public works engineer.

I can search it but same deal, the search engines don't evaluate the results.

Do you have the algorithm?

I'm an engineering student planning to start a business after graduation.

I am currently employed as a project engineer working for a GC that builds multi-family projects.

It's a big money maker for architects, engineers, and contractors, but not a huge opportunity for investors, nor should it be. 

They found it out, andI had to go to the planning board and zoning board, hire an engineer and architect to make the fourth unit legal.In my opinion, the realtor should have verified the zoning, and if you used bank financing, it's pretty rare for the bank to miss it as well.You are probably going to have to hire an architect to draw plans and to get it approved as a triplex.I wish you luck.