Hi everyone!

I'm Fred Venturini and I live about 45 mins east of St. Louis on the IL side. I've worked as an analyst at Scott AFB for the past 9 years as part of an 18-year federal career, I'm a Chicago sports fan (I know, boo), and I live with my lovely wife, daughter, two cats, one dog, and one BB-8 droid who hasn't been turned off since Christmas morning.

Fun fact: I'm an author who has published a novel with a major publisher and several short stories. I love to write and communicate, and I hope to get a couple of books under contract within the next year or two!

I also love REAL ESTATE! Ever since we bought and fixed-up our first home in 2006, then sold it to move up a couple years later, I've found real estate to be fascinating and fun, and have analyzed and consulted on deals for friends who have invested. I've long thought that agents can up their game when it comes to service and skills, and there are some underserved niches in our area, so I went ahead and got my license once REAL came to Illinois. My first "close" was to convince them to board me as a new agent, despite the fact that they hadn't come downstate yet (not on local boards, MLS, etc, so for them to invest in that would require a lot of belief in what I wanted to do).

I also started learning about marketing (focusing on digital) for my next book launch and got so passionate about it I contract my services out to local brick and mortar businesses (I will assist with their social media content, write blogs, email campaigns, run their ads, re-do their website, and more). 

My intention is to be a fantastic agent to my inner circle, to service investors as a buyer's agent, and to carve out a niche in selling rural properties and farms, which are fantastic opportunities in Southern IL with overlooked investment potential. I also want to start adding to my own investment portfolio with the extra tools and knowledge that came with my licensing education. 

I love reading (I tend to digest 2-3 nonfiction books per week between reading and audio, and 2 longer, more casual fiction books per month) and have always found that my writing skills have helped me stand out in any field. So of course, I felt like writing an intro post before I even did all the housekeeping I need to do to get my profiles and branding in order for this new focus! 

As for Bigger Pockets--I ran across the books first, then listened to the podcast, and I knew when this day arrived I'd have to join the forums, where I've lurked in the past. 

Shout out to my wife, Krissy, who inspired me to take these steps. She started up a Rodan and Fields business (which had me rolling my eyes two years ago) but she crushed it and is a Level V who is taking me to Canada on one of her free trips this year. 

Sorry for the long intro, but I'm more writer than editor sometimes. Hope to beef up my presence here and connect w/ more people soon! 

Thanks for reading!

Fred