It is very difficult and risky to start in real estate investment especially if you do not have enough capital and experience to back you up. Also if you have bad credit it may seem impossible to begin investing in real estate. The risks involved can be life-changing since it involves large amount of money and it can disappear in an instant if it was used wrongly.

However, there is also a way for you to get started in real estate investing even if you do not have the cash and experience. And most importantly, you will get paid.

You can do so by being a bird dog. A bird dog is someone who searches for what real estate investors desire and get paid for whatever he may have found. He looks for Chicago condos that are being hurriedly sold, or properties that are abandoned, rundown, or for foreclosure. The bird dog will search for all these kind of properties and inform his investor about it. Once the investor has closed the deal, the bird dog will receive a commission for being able to find the property.

To become a bird dog does not require any degree or capital. The only quality that you need to possess is the ability to find properties that investors can sell. To get started, you have to find a company whose line of business is buying problem houses. These companies will tell you from which town they are looking to buy. Just go to the specified place then you can start searching for properties. However, to be a good bird dog you must have the ability to feel which properties are saleable. No investor will work with you if you keep on giving those properties that are very difficult to sell.

Bird dogging is not a regular 9 to 5 job. In fact, professionals even dedicate only about 3 to 4 hours a week for this kind of job. A bird dog can work in his own time while receiving full time pay. Depending on the investor, a bird dog may receive between $2000 to $5000 a month. The amount will also depend on the quality of the deal or on the profit the investor makes. Bird dogging is like an apprenticeship before actually stepping into the real estate business. This kind of job will give you enough cash and experience that you will need in this kind of industry.