Newbie in Wisconsin looking to buy and hold

[Steve Foth]

Hi everyone at BP! I'm Steve, currently self-employed, but looking to expand into real estate for some stability. In my current line of work(DirecTv), I am constantly fighting off the state trying to classify subcontractors as employees, the subsequent fines and taxes, and subs refusal to do proper work and follow the contract guidelines. It is exhausting, and the profit margin is not high enough to warrant the stress and costs. If I did a profit analysis on my current investment, I know it would be depressing. It is a lot more like a 9-5, with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Before finding this wealth of resources, my thoughts were based around SFH buy and hold. The prices, particularly in my area, are extremely low. I thought that I might as well try to buy and hold since the cost of a SFH is lower than the cost of my truck! However, after spending a lot of time reading everything I could in here, I've decided to focus on MFH and try to spatter in a few SFH, if the market allows, after a couple years of positive cash flow.

My goal is to pick up a duplex to begin. They're constantly popping up in the sub-30k range. I am hoping to jump into the first one before the end of the year and use my current income to accelerate purchases in 2014 and beyond.

My credit is where it needs to be, but the financing is definitely the area that concerns me the most. Working on my credit score has been a hobby for a couple years, and I hate the idea of shopping it around--though I understand it is necessary.