New From Chicago

[Jeffrey Carr]

Hi all, my partner Jaclyn and I recently made our first purchase of a condo in Hyde Park and moved in two weeks ago. Before finding the podcast/this website I envisioned investing longer down the road. Since finding these resources the idea of starting investing sooner has me really excited.

A little about me, I've been trying to nail down what I want to do for a 9-5, I started school in Architecture, switched to Civil Engineering, then Construction Management/Architectural Engineering, and then Computer Science/Programming. I am currently finishing a degree at GSU in business and I am looking where to take my career next. I have a background in drafting and design, and my current 9-5 is in label manufacturing, which is as exciting as it sounds. I have recently started looking into a career in property management, development or something else real estate related. All I know for sure is that my long term goal has been buy and hold, regardless of the career path.

I am still learning a lot, our next purchase will most likely be in two years, and I am still trying to determine what kind of property it will be. I have narrowed it down to a 3-4 flat, or if I do end up employed in property management and gain tenant handleing experience possibly a larger complex.

[Wendell De Guzman]

Welcome to BP @Jeffrey Carr !

Since you want to buy multi-family apartments, listen to my podcast. In it, I openly shared my worst investment mistake (in a 36-unit apartment building) and how I learned from that mistake. Here's the link to the podcast:

http://biggerpockets.com/show65

Also, you can download my cashflow analyzer from the BP Fileplace so you can calculate your numbers FIRST before you buy:

http://www.biggerpockets.com/files/user/Mister4clo...

Lastly, to learn more about investing, you can follow my Real Life of a Real Estate Investor forum thread. In it, you will see and learn what happens in the real life of a FULL TIME real estate investor. Here's the link:

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/223/topics/121...