All Forum Posts by: Dale Stevens

@Jim Collins - that is awesome you are building your portfolio. I see you are in NWI, are all the units in NWI? 

A few years back, I remember attending a group in McHenry. I didn't like it much. It was held in a VFW hall, and the woman that ran it, would sit in the back and smoke during the meeting. I understand it no longer meets.

Even though you are in Northern Illinois, getting out to clubs and groups in the Chicago area, will help you navigate the waters as to how to find deals, how to  find investors, and to just grow your confidence in yourself and your ability to do this.

I have visited many REI clubs locally, and if you contact me privately I can share my thoughts with you.

@Account Closed ,

Welcome to Bigger Pockets and more importantly to the world of Real Estate Investing.

I wish you great success as a fellow Chicagoan. Education is the most important thing anyone can do to ensure more success. EDUCATION, on niches, on pathways, on costs, numbers, areas, locations, etc. 

to help with that, I 150% support getting out to network. Get to local REI Clubs. And by local I mean anything you can drive to in the Chicago area. I always laughed at those that live in say Schaumburg but won't go to Oak Brook for a meeting.

Then, you need to get to several meetings. Each meeting group has its own attendees, and own personality. Networking with many is the way to go, do not shoe horn yourself into believing one group is representative of how REI works, or how people network/sell, etc.

Find the one that works for you, and you can only do that after going to many!

Good luck.

I know the Gary area quite well. I would just pay someone to get rid of the trash, you won't really save much as any place will charge you the dumping fee. If you want a little  advice on where/what you bought, feel free to send me a direct message so we don't air it publicly.

@Shawn Couch the requirements do vary by COUNTY in Indiana. So you want an attorney that knows the county you bought them from. I have always found finding someone that does it on a regular basis, works with the officials that are involved all the time, etc. Saves you aggravation and stress, and most of the time speeds things along for you.

i have referrals in Lake County, IN if you need, message me privately.

I would look for an architect that has experience in dealing with the building department in the municipality you are working in. Did you know that in Clarendon Hills, IL, larger renovations and new builds are required to put in fire sprinkler systems. A local architect would know that and have it included in your plans. (separate plumbing runs are needed for that)

Welcome to BP!. The Park Forest area is interesting to me. Stuck with Cook County taxes and laws, but right on the border of Will County. The RE Taxes in Park Forest are killer if you ask me.

Anyway, as you expand your list, contacts, and knowledge base, you need to get out to local clubs. There is a list on here, but also use Meetup and Google as well as other REI site that have club listings. Go to several. The attendees are different, but also each club has its own personality, and you may click with some more than others. So go to several. Nothing beats face time in this business.

@Paul Timmins has some solid advice for you @Jason Marcordes. Each REI Club has their own unique flow and personality. Go to the ones you vibe with. But don't just go to one and stop. Go to several, as you want to network with many people,a nd many others have their faves as well, they only go to those.

Plus each group has a unique viewpoint that can give you more advice and knowledge that you might miss by just limiting yourself to a single group.

NETWORK.. Then do your own homework on the names you receive. You want to find not just a good contractor, but a reliable one that communicates. You want one that knows the local building department in order to understand permitting, etc. 

You also want one that gets the desires of the investors rather than the homeowner. 

But NETWORKING is key. Attend meetings in PERSON so people feel comfy sharing information with you. Build relationships. That is what really pushed my investing into overdrive. Have you hit up any local REI groups?

@Steve Horvath welcome fellow Chicago Suburbanite to the BP Forums. There is some solid information here, but nothing beats real world meeting and knowledge (at least in my opinion). For me, the key to my success has been or is still, networking and gaining the trust of ACTIVE investors to work with, share information with. This doesn't happen overnight, and when you attend a networking event, I find it almost incredulous that many feel that the first time you meet someone that person is going to tell you all their secrets, give you leads, referrals, etc. You have to build a relationship. For me, that would be my advice to a new person. Get out in person and MEET OTHERS.

One key thing in the above paragraph is the focus on "ACTIVE" investors. There is a huge difference between those that SAY they are active and those that ARE active. You will have to develop a mechanism internally for BS Detection. Sadly you need it on here as well.

When networking, you can hear about the different styles of investing that people do. Figure out which appeals to you. Fix and Flip? Tax Lien? Wholesale? Fix and rent? Turnkey rent? etc... Then, do your best to network with those focused on what you want to focus on.

I did that, and I haven't looked back. The slow start I had turned into a fast pace once I "got in" with the right group of people. Good luck to you.

Also, as I have shared with others on here, I have some private thoughts on some of the local clubs and meetups. PM me if you would like that information. 

@Steve Horvath