All Forum Posts by: David Ocampo

I'm a beginning investor starting out with specific sub-markets in the near western suburbs of Chicago. I've done my due diligence with regards to finances (paying down non-productive debt, accumulating cash reserves) and have begun reading all of the recommended books per the ultimate beginners guide.

I need some assistance in the following areas:

• Analyzing deals: I have calculator (link) that uses assumptions to determine if the property merits further investigation. Is this a decent way of a first pass? How can I improve upon it?
• Finding deals: properties around my selected sub-markets are a tad bit inflated and finding deals that meet the 1% rule (or anything close to it) are hard to come by. Do I lower my expectations, say to 0.5%, or expand to another more affordable sub-market of which I am less familiar. My primary focus is on multi-family (duplexes in particular), but I may persuade myself to start with SFH if barriers of entry are too high.
• Networking: I would like to network with like-minded investors in these sub-markets. I recently joined a landlord group and plan on attending their monthly meeting, but what other methods would you recommend for networking?

Any help is truly appreciated!

Javier, best of luck. I'm in the same situation. This is the year I decided to establish my real estate portfolio. 

Hi all, I'm David and I'm from the near western suburbs of Chicago. I haven't invested in any investment properties, but I am in the process of working out my plan. I'm grateful for all the knowledge available through BP and I look forward to both grow and contribute to the community.