Newbie from West Chester PA (Philly suburb)

[Steve H.]

Hi All,

I'm completely new to real estate investing and trying to figure out how to get started in the Philly region. I am interested in buy and hold, preferably with houses near where I live in West Chester. I am an IT consultant (networks, VoIP, VPN, Linux) and have been running my own web hosting business for 15 years. However web hosting by a small business is longer as profitable as it once was and I am looking for a new business opportunity with a stable monthly income.

The only experience I have with real estate is with the purchase, refinancing, and sale of my own home. I don't have any professional construction/renovation experience, although I am handy and do my own minor house repairs.

I don't have enough cash to purchase a property, but I do have home equity and have self-employed income which I could use to apply for financing. 

I am just starting to read through Bigger Pockets (discovered it today!), and hope to find people who are willing to help me get started on this journey of identifying and purchasing my first (hopefully successful) investment property.

At this point, everything is still new to me and it is not clear how to get started, and in what order. I recognize that I still have a lot of reading to do prior to taking any action, and welcome the guidance of any members here willing to offer their assistance.

-Steve