Introduction and a Shout-Out!!

[Alex Holmstrom]

Hi everyone!

My name is Alex, and I am located in the western suburbs of Chicago. My reasoning joining BiggerPockets I'm sure is a very familiar one - I've long been drawn to the idea of real estate investing and want to get off of the sidelines and into the game. However, how I got here I'm sure is a unique story when it comes to the details. Long story short, I was in Guatemala this past fall and a transportation mix-up put me on a shuttle from Tikal to Flores with a lovely family from the Hartford, CT area. Out of respect, I will not share any names, but as we got to talking, I learned they invest in real estate, and they told me of the BiggerPockets Podcast. If by some chance (much more likely than us ending up on that shuttle together) you see this post, I want to say THANK YOU! Over the past couple months, I have been trying to gain as much knowledge of the industry and lifestyle as I can - I'm sure I've listened to over 100 episodes and looked at nearly as many properties as I try to find my footing and first investment property.

I'm not in this alone, as my girlfriend (who was also on that shuttle), and I are both committed to pursuing these opportunities. She is actually working on getting her real estate license! We aren't set on investing in our area and have been looking for the market that provides the right opportunity for our strategy. We are both engineers, I'm civil and she's mechanical - but I feel like this gets overplayed as an advantage.

Anyways, just wanted to come here, introduce myself, and give a shout out. If anyone is in the area and would like to connect, I'd love to get together! If you'd be generous enough to share some experience and wisdom with me, I'd be happy to get you a coffee or lunch and get to know one-another.

Thanks for reading!

[Paul De Luca]

@Alex Holmstrom

I agree with @Aaron Zimmerman on finding your first deal on the MLS. Those sellers have already put their hand up stating they want to sell. Looking off market can be a time-consuming or expensive endeavor even if you know what you're looking for.

For your first deal, I recommend house hacking a 2-4 unit since it's a lower barrier to entry for most people. I have house hacked in Berwyn and Chicago, so if you have any questions about that feel free to PM me.