Mike from Milwaukee, WI checking in!

[Michael K.]

My path into the real estate world has been a bit strange, but I suppose that there's no one right way to do this. :mrgreen:

Real estate's been an interest since college. Yet, I never went anywhere with it-- not even a single real estate class while I was in school! After suffering through a standard sales office job and getting paid off, I moved from Wisconsin to Arizona to try a change of scenery. Another techie office job (and another lay off) later, I decided to become an arms dealer, obtained my FFL/SOT, and also became a licensed firearms trainer. This was LOADS of fun and covered the bills, but there wasn't too much left over. Real estate again came to mind, but the housing bubble killed any chance of me investing. I decided to become a lawyer; while firearms were fun, I wanted more stability than the arms market offered. After a short and unhappy stint in law school, I sold my house in Arizona and returned home to Wisconsin.

Looking back, being unable to invest in Arizona due to the high costs turned out to be a lucky break. I sold my home 5 months off of the peak of the west coast housing bubble and pocketed a tidy profit. After pondering where to go next, I obtained my real estate salespersons and then my Broker's license. My cousins, already heavily invested in real estate, offered to let me invest with them in some properties. I accepted. Today I have three small places and help them with leasing and some maintenance. My Broker license also allows me to list and sell homes on the side.

It's not much, but it's a start!

Mike