New to BP - Investor from Chicago-land area

[Kurt Bender]

I recently joined Bigger Pockets to network with like minded Real Estate professionals and investors. My experience in CRE dates back to my high school days helping my grandfather out with the maintenance side of RE. In 2011 after working a couple day jobs, I decided that CRE was going to be my full time career.

I started out with a third party management contract of a multi-tenant industrial building, and less than a year later purchased my first multi-unit property (8 units). I was able to grow that portfolio of owner/managed property to 62 units by the end of 2012, plus the original industrial building I was managing. At this point I was pretty much maxed out, and I needed to hire an employee to continue growth. 

For the next three years I ran the portfolio without hiring anyone, and was able to save up some investment capital. (looking back I'm not sure if this was the best decision, I probably missed a lot of growth potential in these years.) By 2015, with the money I saved and some equity partners, I was able to close on a 63 unit deal in the Chicago-land area. At this point, I hired an admin/leasing coordinator and a full time maintenance tech. 

Fast forward to today, we're at 240 multi-family units and about 50,000 sf of industrial space. 

I'm excited about the opportunity to get to know the bigger pockets members and can already see the value in this amazing networking platform!