Colorado Springs and Southern Colorado is such a stunning place to live which is why Leah is proud to call it home. With deep roots in La Veta, Colorado, she came to the Colorado Springs area in 1995. Since becoming a licensed Realtor, Leah has gained experience working with first-time home buyers, investors, and also in vacant land sales. Leah has a wealth of knowledge in the Pueblo area, which we are predicting will be a hot market for 2023. She was Rookie of the Year, and in 2022 was the Top 2nd Year Agent at Your Castle Real Estate. I sat down with her to recap her 2022 investing goals and to see what lies ahead for 2023.

1. Listen to the podcast “#118: Leah’s 2023 Goals: Why This Investor Is Looking at Pueblo” on the Colorado Springs Real Estate Investing Podcast
   
2. Watch the YouTube video (at the bottom.)
   
3. Read the blog post. Note, the blog is an executive summary. Get the in-depth breakdown from the podcast or video.
   

Leah’s goals for 2022 were:

• Save 6 months’ worth of rental property reserves, save for personal reserves, and save 5% for a nomad property and for a Pueblo property.
  
• Assist Envision Real Estate Advisors with our Pueblo expansion.
  
• Achieve a healthier work-life balance.
  
• Take family on a trip to Hawaii.
  

Congratulations are in order–Leah is about to close on her nomad™ property, which she will move into in a few months. Leah said she saved for her rental property and personal reserves, but did not quite achieve the 5% for her Pueblo property, so that will transfer to her 2023 goals. Leah was instrumental with the Pueblo expansion in 2022. The market definitely threw a wrench in those plans, but the Pueblo market is starting to really heat up now. Finally, Leah did go to Hawaii…twice! And achieving a healthier work-life balance is a work in progress for her. This became Leah’s first goal for 2023 because she didn’t do this in 2022. 

• Healthier work-life balance
  
• Time management
  
• Boundaries
  
• Self care
  
• Overhaul budget
  
• Participate in more investor meetups
  
• Close 35+ deals – 12 in Pueblo 
  

Since Leah didn’t make her 2022 goal of better work-life balance happen, she is making time management a priority in 2023. That includes setting boundaries for when she works and when she steps away from work to focus on self care. 

In order to achieve her goal of saving 5% for her Pueblo property that she plans to buy in 2023, she will need to overhaul her budget. Leah wants to eliminate any extraneous expenses, such as the many subscriptions she has. There is an app called Rocket Money that helps you identify subscriptions, manage bills, and even cancel recurring charges with a single click. 

Leah also wants to push herself to participate in more investor meetups. She says she is admittedly a bit shy when it comes to these events, but they really are fun and a great way to grow your network and learn from fellow investors. 

Finally, Leah wants to close at least 35 deals, with 12 of those being in Pueblo. I can see our clients being more interested in Pueblo than Colorado Springs in 2023. With the growth in Pueblo and the UC Health partnership with Parkview Medical Center, there are lots of opportunities in Pueblo. 

Leah also sees the value in investing in Pueblo, which is why she is targeting a simple 3 bedroom/1 bathroom single-family home in Pueblo for under $200k for her 2023 investment property. Since Leah is just starting out with investing for herself, she wants to begin with something simple. Leah plans to self-manage to gain the experience before transitioning to a property management company. It’s always good to start out self-managing your properties, in my opinion. It’s easier to assess what kind of property manager you are looking for after you’ve done it yourself.

If you’d like to invest in Pueblo or learn more about the market, Leah is a wealth of knowledge. She works tirelessly for her clients (but remember, she is striving for some work-life balance!). She’s familiar with multiple Southern Colorado markets and will go above and beyond to help her clients achieve their Real Estate investment goals. You can connect with Leah by emailing her at leah@envisionrea.com.