New member intro - Chicagoland area

[Brian Potesta]

Hi everyone - my name is Brian, and I’m new to the BiggerPockets community.

I’m a career Firefighter/Paramedic and have spent the last six years buying and selling real estate as a Realtor. I grew up in residential construction - my father is a general contractor - so I’ve been involved in building and renovation from a young age. About six years ago, I got my real estate license and began helping my father sell properties, and I now work actively with buyers and sellers alongside my fire service career.

I have experience evaluating properties from a construction perspective, including estimating renovation scope and costs and identifying potential value-add opportunities. I have GC'd projects of my own ranging from kitchen remodels to finishing basements, to full gut rehabs. I’ve also built relationships with a network of subcontractors I work with regularly, which can help keep projects moving efficiently.

As I begin transitioning into investing, I’m currently focused on learning and refining a long-term strategy. Fix-and-flips are appealing in the short term given my construction background and resources, primarily as a way to build capital. That said, my long-term goal is to shift toward buy-and-hold investments rather than creating another full-time job.

I recently came across the BP podcast and have been consuming it non-stop. This community is loaded with some insanely smart investors that I hope to learn from along the way.

Looking forward to learning from the community and contributing where I can!

[Caleb Brown]

I'd try BRRR's. You have the background to tackle it. Another thought is getting you GC license and utilizing that for yourself and/or as a business