Investor from Chicago. Cash flow is my focus.

[Pablo Tinajero]

My name is Pablo and I'm from Chicago's south side (Bridgeport). I'm very excited to have joined this site. I was able to convince my wife (a lot of work) last year to buy a three flat instead of a single family home and we are both very glad we did. We live in the large duplex and rent out the other units. The rentals pay for about 85% of our mortgage. If we moved to the slightly smaller second unit , they would pay all of it (convincing is a slow process). I have learned many things in the world of landlording this past year. Reading Landording by Leigh Robinson set me off on the right foot. We paid a lot of attention and spent a great deal of energy to the tenant screening process and I feel like I've saved myself much headache. As a result, we have great tenants and have created a sense of community in our building.  After a year's worth of work, we are currently coasting and enjoying the fruits of our labor. 

Our next step is getting another rental property (and another and another). My goal to maximize my cash flow to the point of living off of it. We are planning on investing in Chicago's south side because it has a good housing stock and many renters. Given the cost of the buildings, we will have enough to put a down payment very soon. My goal is to network, get the best financing options possible and help this community whenever I can.  We love Chicago and feel that as landlords, we have a great deal of influence on our community.