Newbie post of the day! Getting started.

[Jordan Anderson]

Hi there fellow BiggerPockets members. I'm a brand new investor in the real estate world and could use some help here. Basically, the last few months I have been really interested in flipping homes. I have read every blog post/podcasts/and how to's I possibly could in the past few weeks (borderline obsessive I'm sure some of you have felt this desire when you first got into real estate). But, even after reading/listening/watching how tons of people flip their investments I still haven't been able to start on my own. So here's the deal. I recently found a home for sale in my targeted location where I would like to flip. I might have some private money lined up if I am able to convince/present to him it will be a smart investment. It's a simple 2bd 1ba with a detached 2 car garage. It comes In pretty small at 1380sq ft but, this is not the smallest by any means in this area. The asking price is 99k and the comps look pretty good (if mine are even accurate). A house just a few blocks away is pending with a price of 154,000. This home is the same 2bd 1ba but smaller at 804sq ft but in a bit better condition (still very dated and gross). Before I contact the seller I have a few questions of my own I need help with. How do YOU guys find local comps fast that are accurate? Also, what is my next step to take here? Do I call a home inspector or a general contractor? I need to know the accurate price of this rehab to properly understand where my profit margin is at. Also who will pay for this inspection to be done? I've played around with the Bigger Pockets calculator a bit, but am going in blind on a random estimate of repairs and ARV value at this point in time (which does no good). How can I accurately predict my ARV value of this home? Any sort of advice/guidance on the first steps I should be taking here would be GREATLY appreciated. Although I may not be purchasing this house because I might not be able to jump on it quick enough and I am not educated enough on flipping yet. I would still appreciate some help on the first steps I should be taking to properly analyze a deal so I can learn from it and use my knowledge to asses future deals. Thank you.