newbie here from the chicago suburbs

[Nick S.]

hi everyone, nick here from the chicago suburbs. for the past month i've been on an audio book and podcast binge listening to dozens of (personal) investing and business books as well as the bigger pockets podcast having listened from the very 1st episode all the way up through 2014 so far.  it's because of these audio books that gave me the courage to jump into the intimidating world of real estate.  

i'm the classic over analyzer, over researcher, over thinker, but i decided to start taking action by getting pre qualified, connecting with a real estate agent, looking at mls listings, and driving around to check the properties that interest me. my goal is to flip with my exit strategy being buy and hold as a rental. 

i work a full time job in the city as a digital marketer (think seo, sem/paid search, programmatic display, paid social media leveraging a dmp and liveramp). i'm hoping real estate could be an interesting "hobby".  my priority isn't about the money...it's more about learning. i feel like i need to get the experience to buy, fix, and flip as well as be a landlord to decide which route to eventually focus on. 

i think i'm in a luckier spot than most because my dad is a licensed/bonded/insured general contractor here in illinois having worked on small local commercial properties as well as residential properties.  i'm looking to purchase my first property in the suburbs hopefully within the next 90 days using a conventional loan with my dad focusing on the "fixing".

i look forward to connecting with many of you.