New from Amsterdam, New York

[Andy Iannotti]

Hey everyone, my name is Andy Iannotti.  As the subject line says I’m from the small city of Amsterdam, which is about a half hour west of Albany.  I am a full time firefighter and part time paramedic currently.  The only real estate experience I have is purchasing the house my family currently lives in.  Found this site, along with the books through a google search.  I am very interested in real estate investing mainly because working 96 hours a week to live paycheck to paycheck as a civil servant is wearing me thin, physically and mentally.  My goals are to make extra monthly cash flow so I can quit my side job and have more time with my family, while also living more comfortably.  Setting my kids up for a great start on their fiture is definitely a priority.  Also I have a great start on retirement through my pension, and a healthy portion of my check going to other investments, so the diversity of my portfolio is very attractive. I believe real estate is perfect for me due to the fact I am fairly handy, good with money and have a great schedule (24 hours on, 72 hours off).  I believe the route I am going to take is small multi family homes, my market seems to be good for this (fairly low house costs, moderate rent prices).  Sorry for the long post but I’m really excited and optimistic about this new path in life! Can’t wait to talk with, try to help, and pick the brains of much more experienced members.  Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.