Hello, my name is A.J. Bolding. I am a new to the investment side of real estate, but I do have some experience in the field. I was in the mortgage industry from 2003-2007 and have a CA Real Estate License. I am not an active realtor, but rather am using the license for my real estate ventures. I have enjoyed the info on this site over the past couple of weeks and have decided to join in an effort to learn from others as my portfolio grows. My interest is in buy and hold strategies with a primary focus on learning how to quickly increase cash-flow upon obtaining an investment property. I just submitted my first offer on a very cheap SFR in Arizona. The house is near a family member and the truth is that I am using this as a "learning experience", and more importantly my decision to at least take action and begin my portfolio. I've read that fear is a normal obstacle. My longterm goal is to get into multi-units. I learn fast and appreciate any available advice from seasoned investors. Hopefully my past experience, as well as my current exposure from a newbie perspective, will be beneficial to someone here also.