Newbie from Orange County, CA!!!

[Andrew Miller]

I live in Dana Point, CA. I've worked in Real Estate for 7+ years in one fashion or another. Started off as a Loan Originator for about 1.5 years. Then I gave it a shot buying and selling residential RE in Charlotte, NC till about '08. I could have been more successful then, had I been older and out of the 'I can do it myself' mindset. I moved to Cali and got a job doing Residential Asset Management. I've been an AM for 4+ years now and me and a partner are looking into getting in the game of rehab and selling distressed residential properties.
We're looking to start in the Riverside area, maybe North LA County or Orange County, maybe even San Diego. Pretty much anywhere in SoCal is open at the moment until we narrow our target market. Our price range isn't going to be the highest probably 150-200k. Either way we want to keep it close to where we live at first.
I'll have my Broker's license within 3-4 months(I hope). I guess that depends on the DRE. However, I haven't registered for the test yet. I have two more tests to complete in my RE classes which should be next week. Juggling a full time job and getting this business going is a lot of work right now.
I'd like to form a symbiotic relationship with some RE investors that have been doing this for a while in my area. I'd love to help them out and learn from them while me and my partner get our business off the ground.
My partner mentioned 'bird dogging' as a possible route to take so I may look into that. I'm really excited just looking around this site though as there is sooo much good information. I look forward to being on here for a long time to come. Maybe even one day being able to contribute with my knowledge after I've become successful in RE investing!
I look forward to talking to you all soon and if you have any questions please feel free to ask!