Greetings... starting... Vegas.

[Bryan Christopher]

Hi all, 

Newbie here, so please be gentle. I have to say I'm just shocked at the level of giving back I see around here. It's counterintuitive to think that such an opportunistic field of practice would have such a supportive user-base. Kudos to all of those around here who helped those who helped them. Hope I can do the same some day. 

I'll try to keep it short... essentially, I've been eyeing the Summerlin Las Vegas NV area for quite a long time. I almost took the plunge back in 2008, when yes... it would have been smarter. But I put all of my capital into my own home here in CA and at least built equity that way. Now years later, I'm looking at the area and while I know it's not the best RTV in the country, it's light years better than anything around me in Burbank CA. I have friends and in-laws there. I know the general lay of the land, but am no expert. I'm hoping to start small, with a SFH or condo, sub $125k, let's say for the sake of conversation. I'd use a manager, at least for the start. I'm planning on 20% down, unless anyone has thoughts otherwise.

Things I'd love advice on from anyone who knows the area, or just has a feel for what might help a very new investor... 

-Out of state banking, I have no clue. Any ideas on where to start? 

-My friend has a realtor there who helped him with a recent flip. I plan to speak with her but am open if anyone has suggestions. 

-Finding a contractor locally to prep the unit for rental... any ideas? (I do have one lead.) 

-General trends in the area? (Seems to have risen in the 8% range last year.) 

-My friend owns/rents a condo had has about a 1% RTV right now which is my aim. (I can't get close to that where I live.  Should I be shooting higher or is that solid? 

-My profile - mid 40s, solid income, home-owner, may be selling soon and renting and investing some of the profits and looking for an investment home here to rehab for myself. (My house/neighborhood is very frothy.) Either way, I have cash... not endless but enough for a DP and some repairs to get started. Again, live in CA but can travel easily to LV and do have friends there, though no connections investor-wise. 

-On that note... anyone interested in chatting about Las Vegas investing, or if I can answer any questions about my area, please hit me up. 

-Most importantly... what am I forgetting? 

If you have an a brief thought on the matter, I greatly appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to listen. 

Be well.