Hey I’m Garret 👋 excited to be here! A little about me… I’m based out of Southern California with my wife and our 4 kids. I came from the fitness industry. Built and grew my business to mid 6 figures for a little over 10 years. It did really well for us and opened a lot of doors, but over time I realized a few things: any time I stepped away for too long, things would go backwards and I’d have to jump back in and work even harder to turn things around, and my kids weren’t gonna take over the business eventually so it would have ended with me. That just wasn’t the freedom I was after nor the legacy I wanted to leave behind. I went back to working a regular job, but about a year in, I got laid off with a bunch of others from a job that I thought was stable. Good news is that led me to a real estate investing firm that I wound up working at for 3 years or so. CoGP’d on my first 114 unit deal in June 2025, formed my own company with two experienced guys, left the company I was working for beginning of 2026, did a couple more deals as a lead sponsor and currently at 423 units. When I’m not hanging out with my family or working on real estate activities, I enjoy being active, backpacking, playing poker, programming, and being around good people. Always open to connecting with growth minded and motivated people!

The hard part is realizing that owning a property doesn't automatically make you a successful investor. I've watched new investors spend months looking for the "perfect deal," only to discover they weren't prepared for what came after closing. Then I've seen experienced investors with multiple properties struggle because they never built systems to scale. Here are some of the biggest challenges I see over and over: - Buying properties without truly understanding the numbers. - Failing inspections because they underestimated repair requirements. - Struggling to find quality tenants or manage them effectively. - Relying on manual processes that waste hours every week. - Chasing more properties instead of improving the performance of the ones they already own. - Treating investing like a series of transactions instead of building a long-term business. The truth is, Section 8 investing isn't just about collecting rent. It's about creating a business that consistently produces predictable cash flow. The investors who build lasting wealth don't just ask: How can I buy another property? They ask: - How do I reduce vacancies? - How do I make inspections easier? - How do I streamline operations? - How do I attract better opportunities? - How do I build systems that allow my portfolio to grow without creating more stress? Every challenge in this business has a solution, but only if you're willing to stop treating symptoms and start fixing the root causes. The biggest shift happens when you stop thinking like a landlord and start thinking like a business owner. Here's my question for you: 👉 What's the single biggest obstacle that's slowing your growth in Section 8 investing right now, and what have you tried so far to solve it? That one question can spark some valuable discussion, and I'm looking forward to hearing different perspectives.

I'm Derik, and I'm excited to be part of this community. I joined because I believe that growth comes from learning, building meaningful relationships, and taking consistent action. I'm passionate about business, personal development, and creating value. My vision is to keep growing as an entrepreneur while building something that makes a real impact. I'm here with an open mind ready to learn from the experiences, successes, and even the challenges shared by members of this community. At the same time, I hope to contribute by sharing responsible, practical, and useful insights that can help others on their own journeys. Looking forward to connecting, learning, and growing with all of you. Thank you for having me! Wishing everyone continued success and progress. 🚀