Newbie from Jacksonville, FL

[Kim Kelly]

Hi everyone,
Just finally getting around to introducing myself...
I've entertained the idea of investing in real estate for several years, but only became serious about it 6-8 months ago. I've read numerous books, participated in a webinar, attended my local REIA trade show, and met with several professionals in the real estate industry. I've begun to build a team and learned a lot already from these individuals, but I'm still at the beginning of this process. I'm hoping to soon find a mentor. For awhile I felt stuck in fear, but I finally feel like I'm moving out of that paralysis. At some point soon I know I need to just pull the trigger and purchase my first property. I have some capitol to invest, but it would put me under a moderate amount of financial stress. I hear a lot of people saying to avoid using your own money, and so I've been searching for hard money lenders. However the one I met with said that many of them in my area (Jacksonville, FL) have put on the brakes with lending. So that seems like a significant part of my strategy I still have to figure out.
I'm looking to invest in SFH, buy and hold, and down the road multi-family properties.
Currently I have a full-time job at a hospital and own a part-time counseling practice, so time is a real challenge. My ultimate goal, like many of the individuals on this site, is greater financial freedom.
This website is a wonderful resource, and I feel fortunate to have found it. Thank you to all that have put forth their time and energy to make it successful.