Greetings from Central Nebraska

[Michael Baldwin]

Hi everyone. I am Michael from a small town in central Nebraska. There is not much for real estate investing going on here, but I am less than 200 miles from decently sized places where I plan to look for real estate opportunities. I am a stay at home dad, so I spend a lot of time with my 3 kids and dog, while the wife goes out and works.

I have been reading about real estate investing for a few years now, and I think I am ready to take the next step. Looking for deals and starting putting what I have learned to practice. I have written the purchase agreements and did the negotiations myself on the 2 houses we have bought, and sold the one house without an agent. It was a learning experience, that is for sure, but I am glad I did it that way. It aloud me to gain a little more confidence for when I am ready to take on real estate investing for profit.

In the short term, I would like to own one rental property by the end of 2011, and maybe 2. The problem first is coming up with the cash for the deal. Or maybe the problem is finding the deal. I think I have located a few different options, but I won't go in to them here. I have decided to focus more on rental properties, mostly multi-family units, for a little extra cash flow, and for the equity that I should be able to cash out on in 15-20 years, when I need to start paying for college and weddings for my kids.

I hope to make some great connections here and gain a wealth of knowledge. Eventually I hope I will be able to contribute more than I get, but I guess we all have to start somewhere.