Newbie from Chicago, IL!

[Cielo Macaraeg]

My name is Cielo (you pronounced that as "shello")! In Italian & Spanish I've been told it means "heaven" or "sky" :) Though I'm neither of those nationalities because I'm Filipino, funnily enough.

I am 25 years old and I live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. My strategy in real estate is to buy + hold for long-term wealth and my current goal is to acquire my first rental property through house hacking using an FHA loan.

I've been listening to BiggerPockets' podcasts for months now and all the success stories just makes me want to get started on my own journey too. I started getting interested in REI a few years ago when I noticed a ton of financial books in my mother's room. Long story short, she took notice of my curiosity and suggested I read Rich Dad Poor Dad.. so low and behold here I am today. For so many years my mother has read multitude of investment books since early 2000's and she still hasn't invested in real estate yet. Fear got to her. I then realized that knowledge isn't powerful unless action is taken with it.

So my question to you is, how did you get into real estate investing?

I look forward to making new friends here on this wonderful platform that BP provides as I'm sure I can learn valuable information from each and everyone of you. Thanks for taking the time to read!

[Alex Ferraro]

@Cielo Macaraeg I got started house hacking a duplex in Logan Square in 2019. I used an FHA 203k loan to do rehab on the property. I'm also 25, so happy to answer any questions from that point of view!