New Member, Agent from Olathe, Kansas!

[Christian Hidalgo]

Hello and thank you for welcoming me to BiggerPockets! I'm excited to be here and hope to network with other members and experienced professionals for ongoing advise and referrals.

About me: I have big goals for myself, my family, and my community. Becoming a father last year changed my perspective on how I wanted to spend my next 20 years and the wisdom I will pass on to my daughter. I've always been well organized and goal-driven, but suddenly realized that I've always struggled with the fear of failure; thus, I've always made my goals smaller than what my potential would actually allow me to accomplish. In 2009, I became licensed in Kansas as a real estate sales agent, and worked part-time with a broker who specialized in flips and rentals. Of course, during the years that followed, we struggled to gain new clients and buyers and primarily shifted focus to property management and riding out the recession storm; while I settled into my "successful" full time career in Financial Risk Analysis with a Fortune 500 corporation.

After 10 years of the desk job, and the birth of my daughter, I realized I could only be the father I wanted to be if I made a change that would allow me to challenge my potential while serving my community's interests, which are greater than my (former) employer's. So I chose to dedicate myself full time to real estate early in the year. I firmly believe my diverse skill set, education, and professional experience are ideal for taking on the unique challenges associated with working alongside real estate investors. My newer, more aggressive goals include: becoming known as a reliable and competent agent for investors throughout Johnson County; and being able to provide for my family's living expenses within 5-10 years, through passive income alone from my own investments, so that I can dedicate my time even more so to serving my community. I am currently involved in various improvement initiatives like revitalization efforts surrounding the Envision Downtown Olathe Plan, and I volunteer my time and skills to various other programs like Pit Bull E.D.U., which promotes a responsible approach to interactions between local residents' pets and other members of the community through education.

I do believe that more so than in many other industry, in real estate you can get out as much as you put in; and I put daily effort into mastering my craft. I appreciate you taking the time to read my long-winded post and again for welcoming me to the forum. I look forward to meeting members, being involved in discussions and swapping wisdom!