I'm currently working in Finance in the Chicago area - with hopes of branching out into real estate investing in the next year or so in the Milwaukee market area (hometown) - initially buy and hold rentals.With no previous experience in real estate, over the last few months, I have been taking advantage of the information presented on various podcasts (primarily Bigger Pockets, of course!)

Luckily, I hit the 5 year mark in about 10 months and mine drops off.That being said, for return on your initial invested, without running a calculator, I would say you are still better off paying with as little down as possible.  

Ok, now that you have taken your initial step, below are some quick links to get engaged.Since you didn't mention a specific area of interest, I listed three of the most popular niches from which you can select one or all.http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/02/22/buying-rental-property/ (how to buy a rental property) http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/01/07/flipping-houses/ (step by step guide to flips)https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/01/31/ultimate-beginners-guide-real-estate-wholesaling-2/ (Ultimate beginners guide to wholesaling) http://www.biggerpockets.com/startherehttp://www.biggerpockets.com/meethttps://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsHow to Use @Mentions on BiggerPocketshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/ruleshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/termshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/inviteshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/perkshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/categorieshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/courses/a-beginners-introduction-to-real-estate-investing (video courses)https://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investing (Ultimate beginner's guide to REI)REI can be very daunting, but, before you go searching for that 1st buy, please take a few minutes to bone up on the tips in link below.https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/12/19/real-estate-investing-success-smart-tips/REI books suggested by BPershttps://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/11/13/7-real-estate-books-beginner-investors/ (7 absolute must read books for beginner REI)http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/04/14/best-real-estate-books/?

A DC initiative was also mentioned.As the story quotes Eric Grumdahl of MN, "we are asking landlords to affirmatively choose to house veterans who, frankly, in this market would be very easy to screen out..." - but if you have appropriate housing, having the incentives certainly helps!

Additionally, there were agent commissions that I would have had to pay on the initial sale between me and the bank, which in a normal wholesale gets passed on to the end buyer.

I have no idea about the process, and my initial thought was to not pay taxes and let someone else take it over via a tax sale, but if there is value here, I would like to tap into it. 

Initially I began my investing career looking into fix and flips, then shifted my attention to the Notes side of the business.

Initially I wanted to wholesale to build capital to fix and flip and then develop.

But I did have the right attitude as well as the gift of desperation.My initial foray into harf money loan brokering helped me get close to the situations people run into and leaned to solve problems.

I think I may be inputting wrong or confused as to what numbers/costs go where in the calculator since I'm initially using private money, then doing a cash-out refinance while using my own cash for renovations....