The beginning

I've created this blog to serve a couple of purposes. Primarily it is a record of my dealings in the real estate investing arena so that I can share my experiences and lessons with others (and myself when I forget what I have been doing). Additionally, I will use it as an accountability tool for me because I am inherently lazy and I am a professional procrastinator.

Some background on me: I took an insane amount of time to graduate with an undergrad degree and finally emerged with a computer science degree in 2000. The market for geeks was booming and I had my choice of 6 different companies to work for. 1 1/2 years later I was laid off from my technical consultant job as the tech industry began to crumble. 5 months of looking for a job finally paid off when I was hired as a glorified help desk guy at a Denver hospital. Great stability in the healthcare industry - but you know what they say about stability and security.

I was introduced to the Rich Dad books by a great friend of mine who actually had never read the books but heard that they were a great series. I have been reading 4 or so of the RDPD books over the last 10 months - in addition, I've nearly completed several other related books like The Wealthy Barber (Chilton), Flipping Properties (Bronchick), The Automatic Millionaire (Bach), Lease Options and Subject-To Deals (Patton). I say "nearly completed" because I am almost always in the process of reading and starting about 4-5 books.

I had been lurking on the RD forums for the last 6 months and only just recently started participating. It is a great resource for creative REI ideas.

At this point, I own a small condo in Denver that is my primary residence. I am in the process of looking for a rental property in the S/E part of Colorado Springs - about 60 miles south of Denver. I am also looking for a rental in the Boise area and I've just started considering pre-construction in a couple of communities out of state.

That's where I stand. I am excited and scared to be heading down this road but I know that I am having fun so far and I have a lot to learn.