Finally jumping into Real Estate! - Chicago

[Kevin O'Brien]

Hi everyone! 

I'm Kevin O'Brien, a 29 year old engineer living in Chicago....I just wanted to say hello! A whopping 4 years after being introduced to BP, I decided I needed to stop making excuses and jump into the real estate game. So here I am, ready to embark on my real estate journey! 

I'm in the process of finding my 1st property - targeting a 3BR condo or small multifamily in Chicago (B or B+ neighborhood) that's within walking distance to a Blue or Brown line L stop. I'll owner-occupy, house hacking via roommates (renting units if multifamily). 

My background - I was born and raised in the west suburbs of Chicago, before heading a few hours south to Champaign for college. After getting my degree, I worked for a manufacturing company that moved me out to Harrisburg, PA for a year and then to Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA for 4 years after that. 

Living in Iowa in 2014, I noticed how inexpensive all the houses were compared to where I grew up and that piqued my interest in real estate. While searching online for info on real estate investing, I discovered the Bigger Pockets Podcast. TOTAL GAME CHANGER. I devoured the episodes, learned all I could and started getting familiar with the local neighborhoods & prices...I was convinced I would begin my real estate journey once I had saved for a down payment. 

Unfortunately in 2015 while saving for the down payment, I changed jobs, moved back to the Chicago suburbs and started taking MBA classes - real estate completely fell by the wayside. 

Seven months ago, I stumbled across a BP article for the first time since I left Iowa. Having spent the previous 2 years slogging through 80 hr work weeks, I realized I needed to make a change...that rat race was not how I wanted to spend the next 40 years of my life. So I left that crappy job, got a better one and moved to the city. I began catching up on all the BP Podcast episodes I'd missed, figured out what neighborhoods I wanted to buy in an began monitoring the prices to get a feel for my area.

I couldn't be more excited to jump into the game and I really look forward to all of the future discussions here on BP!

-Kevin O'Brien