New Investor - Indianapolis, IN - Need a Realtor and a Contractor

[Greg R Peterson]

Hello all! 

I am new to the Indianapolis area and equally new to Bigger Pockets and Real Estate Investment. I've spent the last 3 months voraciously consuming all things real estate. I'm in Purchasing by 9-5 profession, so the analytical side of the business has come fairly naturally to me and I've been assessing MLS deals daily for the last month or so. I must be getting better because everything I select to see the following weekend is gone within 24-48 hours.. lol. Anyway, I'm now at the stage of preparing to make offers and am looking for a Realtor that is also an active investor and is willing and able to provide insight into the Indianapolis market and real estate investing in general. Ideally, I'd love to find someone with the heart of a teacher and a passion for building wealth through real estate. I'm looking at buy-and-hold investments and I plan to start slowly with cash, then expand through leverage as my comfort and functional knowledge grows. I'm looking to buy a modest fixer upper (not full rehab..yet) that will have an ARV that builds a little equity, but more importantly, allows me to cash-out refi and start to BRRR a little ways down the road.

That brings me to my 2nd request of those reading this. I'll also need a contractor to rehab the fixer upper. Again, heart of a teacher would be huge plus, as I'm still learning how to accurately estimate rehab costs. Initially I will need estimates prior to purchase, so if you know anyone that is willing to do a walk-though, identify potential problems, and provide a rough rehab estimate, I would be eternally grateful! 

I just want to take a quick second too and say thank you to everyone on the forums and at Bigger Pockets. The time and information the members donate through the forums is greatly appreciated and has already saved me from making at least one critical error (investing with Morris Invest.. dodged that bullet!). Also, huge shout-out to the Bigger Pockets team - you have motivated and inspired me to take the plunge and start building my portfolio! 

I look forward to hearing from those of you in Indianapolis and sharing my journey as it progresses from here! 

Thanks,

Greg Peterson