Hopeful first time investor in Buffalo, NY, looking for advice

Hopeful first time investor in Buffalo, NY, looking for advice

Member since 2022 · 3 posts · 0 votes

Hi all,

Bare with me, I'm new to this and really want to get started replacing our incomes. Forgive the essay. I've been looking to pursue real estate for many years now and finally am in a better position to make some moves. I've learned a lot from books and BP podcasts, but I've never pulled the trigger.

Just got married and took out a HELOC right before the wedding with the blessing of my new wife to pursue my first rental after we got back from the honeymoon.

I've got what could be a good opportunity to buy my father's first home that my uncle had been living in for years; my dad put my uncle on the mortgage so they both own the house. Long story short, my uncle moved in after my dad bought a bigger house and paid my dad for the mortgage, then my cousin lived there for the past two to three years and did a bunch of weird, incomplete renovation; this is important because the "work" my cousin did definitely decreased the value of the house. The house looks like a trap house inside, but that's okay, that's what the HELOC is for.

 My question pertains to how should I go about the following. My father has no problem with me buying this house and has no problem seller financing it to me at a family discount, but my uncle thinks it's worth $160-$200k, which is what the other houses on the block sold for and they are fully renovated and look beautiful. The house in question is so beat up I doubt it even scratches $100k, maybe $120k tops. The roadblock is my uncle because although my father has final say, uncle is still super stubborn, thinks this house is worth what Zillow tells him, and won't listen to any other perspective. He put a "For Sale By Owner" sign outside last Friday.

How would you go about this? Should I just go to my uncle and lay out my offer like my dad told me to do? Is there a better way to approach it? Should I skip it and go for other properties in the area that don't involve my uncle and already priced to sell? Any advice is appreciated and I'm willing to continue elaborating.

I'm excited to get this deal or some other deal moving; regardless of what happens here, I intend on buying my first property within the next two months or so.

Thank you for your help in advance.

EJ

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Rental Property Investor · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2016 · 6 posts · 3 votes
3y
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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Ej Sorrento:

    Welcome to the BiggerPockets forums!

    I would make a written offer and let them decide. If your uncle is stubborn and refuses to lower the price, walk away and look for another investment. Maybe he'll come around. Maybe your dad will kick him to the curb. Or maybe he'll sell it for $20,000 more to another buyer.

    You could make an offer to purchase it based on an appraisal. That will give you a formal, objective valuation of the property. It could come in low and get you a good deal, or it could come in high and you'll have to decide if you want to pay that much and then pay renovations on top of it.

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  • Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 11 posts · 10 votes
    3y

    Hey EJ, fellow Buffalo investor here and I think it’s a great market. I think Nathan’s point about getting an independent appraisal is a great way to show your uncle and father what the value is in it’s current condition. You also mention he would seller finance it to you though. If thats an option, make him an offer close to what he wants but set the terms you want. If you can get in woth zero down and a long holding period, that can allow you to still cashflow, I would consider doing it still even if you pay a little over market value. You can always refi down the road and if youre cash flowing, youre good. Best of luck!

  • Matthew Irish-JonesBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Ej Sorrento:

    Hi all,

    Bare with me, I'm new to this and really want to get started replacing our incomes. Forgive the essay. I've been looking to pursue real estate for many years now and finally am in a better position to make some moves. I've learned a lot from books and BP podcasts, but I've never pulled the trigger.

    Just got married and took out a HELOC right before the wedding with the blessing of my new wife to pursue my first rental after we got back from the honeymoon.

    I've got what could be a good opportunity to buy my father's first home that my uncle had been living in for years; my dad put my uncle on the mortgage so they both own the house. Long story short, my uncle moved in after my dad bought a bigger house and paid my dad for the mortgage, then my cousin lived there for the past two to three years and did a bunch of weird, incomplete renovation; this is important because the "work" my cousin did definitely decreased the value of the house. The house looks like a trap house inside, but that's okay, that's what the HELOC is for.

     My question pertains to how should I go about the following. My father has no problem with me buying this house and has no problem seller financing it to me at a family discount, but my uncle thinks it's worth $160-$200k, which is what the other houses on the block sold for and they are fully renovated and look beautiful. The house in question is so beat up I doubt it even scratches $100k, maybe $120k tops. The roadblock is my uncle because although my father has final say, uncle is still super stubborn, thinks this house is worth what Zillow tells him, and won't listen to any other perspective. He put a "For Sale By Owner" sign outside last Friday.

    How would you go about this? Should I just go to my uncle and lay out my offer like my dad told me to do? Is there a better way to approach it? Should I skip it and go for other properties in the area that don't involve my uncle and already priced to sell? Any advice is appreciated and I'm willing to continue elaborating.

    I'm excited to get this deal or some other deal moving; regardless of what happens here, I intend on buying my first property within the next two months or so.

    Thank you for your help in advance.

    EJ

    I would go about it by having an investment strategy and looking at multiple homes and not relying on family deals, in the long run, its not a sustainable business model.  If you can get a seller financed deal without pissing off your uncle that would be ideal, but dealing with family and business is tough.  Let your Dad handle the negotiation and if it works it works.

    In my opinion estimating renovation costs is the hardest thing for a newer investor.  Its very easy to think you can do a $5,000 renovation and watch it turn into a $25,000 renovation.  The critical errors I see are not understanding code, getting the order of operations out of order, and forgetting to do an asbestos test prior to demo.  

    Good luck on the journey!
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  • Rental Property Investor · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2016 · 6 posts · 3 votes
    3y
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