Young Investor from SE Michigan

[Chad Miles]

Hello Bigger Pockets!

My name is Chad Miles and I currently am a 20 year old senior at Michigan State University. Once I graduate in June, I will begin working full time in an IT position in the Metro Detroit area. 

In the past few years, I have been turned on to real estate investing by my father before he passed away. I see real estate as the best avenue to get me to the financial freedom that I desire for myself and my future family. As a young adult, I see this a great opportunity to begin my investing business with lots of time on my hands before the responsibilities of a family and kids.

Ultimately, I want to invest in multi-unit apartment complexes, but realize that I have to start somewhere smaller. This is where I want to turn to the experience of the Bigger Pockets community. In order to gain the funds and experience to invest in apartment complexes, what would those of you with more experience recommend to get started?

In the next 6-8 months, I plan to utilize the "house hack" and buy a duplex which I will also live in while I rent the other side. After that, I plan to continue to invest in small multi family homes that cash flow before I start to slowly move up to places with more units. I'm wondering if there might be a good way to incorporate flipping into my "formula" to gain the capital to eventually invest in apartments. I have a background and passion in design and home furnishing and think that I could put this to excellent use in the flipping business. However, I am wondering if I should focus on one of these strategies, or if there is a good way to attempt to do both? 

Ultimately, I understand the power of networking and how much it means to a business, especially in real estate. I hope to find people that I can learn from and can benefit from my skills as well. I am excited at the opportunity to engage with the Bigger Pockets community and learn from all of the talented and knowledgable professionals!

Cheers, 

Chad