Newish to the real estate life

[Patrick O'Brien]

Hi all, 

So I'm the new guy for a while I guess and wanted to get an introduction out there before I convince myself to slow down.  I am active duty Air Force currently in the Belleville, IL area; I have a wife, 7 year old and <1 year old. 

My introduction to real estate has been rather unusual.  A very close family friend passed away about seven years ago and left her house in Ohio to my two brothers and I.  The plan was to have one of my brothers fix it up and then rent it out to a third party since I was overseas for a few more years.  Needless to say, he's still in the house and we don't make much on it after taxes/expenses each year.

I moved to Tacoma, WA around 2012 and immediately wanted to start searching for a SFH that I could do some rehab work on and then sell when I was ready to move. I ended up delaying that purchase for about two years but did find a gem (~205k @3.25%) in a really nice neighborhood with good schools. I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into that house but didn't get the upgrades into it that I wanted. I currently have a renter in the house for and am making about 350 extra a month.

In late 2016, I moved to Belleville, IL to start my new job and wanted to look for another SFH that I could buy, fix up a bit, and then rent out for a few years. Currently, my wife and I are watching lots of youtube videos and signing up for some home repairs classes to get some hands on experience in home remodeling. This is what I would like to pursue even more full time once I am out of the military (8 yrs). Buy, Flip, Hold. I think its a lot of fun and feels good to take something that's a little ragged and brighten up the neighborhood. Daily, I see distressed homes all around me and think it would be pretty awesome to fix them up, get some good tenants in each one and have some community events.

Anyways, I am the new guy, always looking for advice, thoughts, and ideas.  I would love to find a mentor in my area (Belleville, IL 62226) and maybe find a way to earn some advice.  I work random schedules all the time but if you have any suggestions, I'll read them here.  Started last week listening to the podcast and have been writing down the books that each guest has been presenting as well as reading through the education guides when I get a free moment. 

Happy to be here and looking forward to the day when I can help someone make progress with their goals.

Cheers,

Patrick