New investor from Knoxville TN

[Ryan Ilardi]

Hey, my name is Ryan and I wanted to introduce myself to the community. I have been wanting to get into real estate for many years now but have been held back by fear of leaving the so called 9-5 job (actually more like 12 hrs a day, 6 days a week). My interest began 10 years ago, seeing the likes of Carlton Sheets on late night infomercials. It was very interesting but I just had my 1st child and 2nd on the way so I kinda put it on the back burner.

Fast forward to 1 year ago, I have 3 kids with my ex wife, 1 step kid with my wife now and starting a new position at the company I have been with for 11 years. I knew it would be a make or break career change as the new position was totally different. As I've worked this past year, I have decided I am not happy with my lack of compensation for my hard work. So once again I have turned to real estate.

I went to an open house to become a real estate agent a month ago. The fact of working for myself intrigues me, the harder I work, the more money I will make.then I decided to look into real estate investing again and found Bigger Pockets. this website has been a tremendous help with my education on real estate investing. Everyday I go to work and on the way home I listen to a new podcast. I am more determined than ever before!

From my research in the past hands what I have been looking at over the last month or two, I feel that my niche is flipping houses. Not only is it a good way to turn a profit but it also helps out the community as older homes are made new again instead of continually building new houses.

I've learned one of the most important things to do in real estate is networking. I will be going to my first real estate investor group meeting next month and also want to connect with anybody in the area. My biggest problem right now is upfront financing to purchase a house. With 4 kids and divorce, it has been very difficult to save up a lot of money for a down payment. I have looked at some hard money lenders and must really investigate moreto see if that is a good option or not. I also have some fellow coworkers that I will be attempting to partner with possibly on a house.

I appreciate anyone reading this post and would love some feedback even if you're not from the area on ways to begin my business while still working full time. My goal is to be 9 to 5 job free by next summer. Thank you