Total Newbie From Chesapeake, VA

[Joshua S.]

Hello all!  My name is Joshua Saunders and I am completely new to investing in real estate.  Well... somewhat new.  My mom did it for a little while, so I've read some books and stuff and understand the general concepts.  

I recently started getting more interested in real estate when I bought my new house.  My credit is great so I qualified for the new mortgage without having to sell the townhouse I was living in.  So now I'm renting out that townhouse.

I also work full time as a "Project Analyst" for a government (DoD) contractor.  I also hate my job and the thought of investing in real estate is exciting to me.  Not because of any late night 2am infomercial gurus telling people they're going to get rich, but it would just be nice to actually know what I do for a living.  My job now is very "in the ether" or "abstract" as they say.  My boss told me when I got hired that they call the position a "Project Analyst" because they don't know what else to call it.  Anyway, I don't really like what I do now.  Real estate just seems to make sense to me. 

I'm also married, with three kids.  So I don't really have the flexibility to just quit my job and start investing in real estate full time.  I guess some of the things I'm looking for is financing help (not you giving me money of course, I don't know you, but rather any information you have on financing that aren't well known), any good "starting out" posts related to flipping or buy and hold strategies, any most importantly, any information regarding taking the leap. 

I was also thinking about getting my real estate license... Any information on doing that would also be helpful. Anyone know what a real estate agent makes in VA on average? Thanks all for reading! Can't wait, I'm excited.