New guy from Indianapolis.

[Matthew Behnke]

The short of it:

I want to be able to give my children a great life while earning passive income so I can be present as much as possible. I am currently enrolled in an MBA program and work as a Financial Analyst. I got interested in real estate investing by renting out my downstairs bedroom of our 4 bed 3 bath to a master's student from Turkey. He covers about 30% of our mortgage and I think I have the bug (he has paid 2 months rent so far :) ). I read Rich Dad Poor Dad about 3 months ago and just didn't know how to use that information. My number one hurdle right now is convincing my wife that we will not lose everything and end up in the poor house by investing in real estate. I look forward to learning as much as I can and hopefully pulling the trigger on a buy and hold as soon as I can convince the Mrs.

One question I will be researching on these forums first is how to determine the quality of a market. Indianapolis covers a lot of area with many differing neighborhoods, just like any big metro area. How can I research areas that may be fruitful to invest in?

Thank you all for being here!