First-timer in Minneapolis

[Eric Bate]

I'm a 30-year-old violinist in Minneapolis, MN.  I've never owned real estate, and I've got some money squirreled away with which to get into the game.  Ideally, I'd like to own several rental properties that bring in a steady flow of income.  But that would be years down the line, I believe.  At the moment, I'm trying to learn as much as I can about real estate before buying my first property, likely a duplex that I'll live in and rent out at the same time.  At least, that's the plan.

I'm still quite green behind the ears, but I've got some time to learn as much as I can before making my first purchase.  My lease is up at the end of August, and I'd like to have a place of my own by then so that I don't have to pay rent ($1000/mo) ever again.

I came across Bigger Pockets several times while Googling for book suggestions on real estate.  I'm happy to have found such an active forum full of so many people on the same path as me.

~Eric