Finding The Right Niche

Finding The Right Niche

Investor · Aliso Viejo, CA · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 6 votes

Hey BP,

I'm new to real estate investing and BP, but excited and ready to learn!  As I've started researching and reading the beginner's guide, podcasts, blog posts, learning from mentors, etc. I find myself torn on how and where to begin.  I have a full time job in nutrition and healthcare (which I love) as a marketing professional with previous sales experience in the field. I want to build financial freedom outside of my day job by generating passive income and looking for the right opportunities. I live in south Orange County, CA where I know real estate isn't cheap.

I have good capital saved up and access to possible investors. I received advice to start investing in a market close to home where I'm comfortable and can visit frequently. I've also been given advice to invest outside of CA based on pricing and better opportunity for higher ROI and cash flow. The challenge would be the travel back and forth with a full time job and learning new markets. I've evaluated different types of investments and tried to narrow it down.

My initial thought is to focus in Orange County and look to flip single family homes, or buy and hold condos/single family. The short term cash flow may be less but it seems to be a strong market based on location for the long haul. The other idea is to look for multifamily investing outside of CA in markets like Texas, specifically looking into mobile home parks based on lower cost and higher cash flow. I have mentors who are successful with both strategies and hoping to receive more direction.

Any advice or insight is much appreciated!

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Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 933 posts · 1k+ votes
9y

Austin,

Couple thoughts for you.  Since you are looking outside CA as one option, you could look at participating in syndications in the niche areas you are interested in.  I call this the earn and learn approach.  You can earn alongside experts, see how they do it, deciding if it's the niche you want to be more active with down the road.   Sounds like you have a busy career you enjoy and are thinking of creating passive income.  If you are accredited investor you have a lot of choices in syndication deals which I think are also ideal for out of state investing since you don't have to worry about managing the asset / property, the general partner does all the work but that does not mean you have to be passive in your thinking.  Good syndicators have active / hybrid investors as passive investors too because think about it, can you really be great at all the different niches?  If you are not accredited, there are deals where syndicators will take a limited number of non - accredited / sophisticated investors so you could get started now.

For instance, you may get that mobile home parks (MHP) is a great place to put some money, but you love to be active in MF because that is your passion.  You could tomorrow be investing with MHP operators that have years of experience, be invested in a pool of properties (diversification) and getting cash flow into your bank account monthly in about 90 days from signing up.  Great, invest passively in syndication deals w/MHPs and start attending local MF meetup groups in your area and get more active along that lines.  Several ways to get involved.  Don't think DIY or not.  It's not black or white...either I'm active or not.  I think most folks can appreciate some part of their portfolio in passive opportunities and can also get that they can learn and earn along the way before they start thinking about become more active in it.  Active can come with an immense amount of time, pain and lost money as you learn the ropes.  It does not have to be that way.

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15 Replies

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  • Rental Property Investor · RVA · Member since 2016 · 5k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    9y

    Have you considered focusing on raising capital for your first couple of deals? David Thompson is active on BP and that's his specialty.

  • Joe HomsBusiness Member
    Flipper · Mission Viejo, CA · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y
    Austin McAnena Welcome to BP. There is a location where like minded investors gather in Lake Forest, California every month that you should check out. If you would like to chat before then and talk about investing let me know. I am in Mission Viejo and can get together at my local Starbucks. Your ALL in cost is only a cup of coffee. I am currently flipping homes in Orange County and teach others how to do so as well. I started a wholesaling group and spend my Saturday mornings with them. I am looking for my next purchase at the court house steps, while I am working on a few more. Good Investing...
  • Jo-Ann LapinPro Member
    Loan Officer · Tustin, CA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 713 votes
    9y

    Welcome fellow OC neighbor. If you are thinking of jumping in to the flipping area of real estate and plan to stay more local you must consider a value add property which quite a bit to take on but certainly can be found. You should consider meetups and investments clubs in the area

  • Craig CurelopBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Post Falls, ID · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    @Austin McAnena - If you love your full time job in nutrition and healthcare and view real estate as a relatively passive investment. I would recommend buy & hold. 

    Flipping can be very time consuming and there is a strong possibility that you will either lose money or some other part of your life will suffer. Whether that's your full time job, time with your family, etc. 

    My suggestion would be to focus on ONE THING an do it really well. Flipping is essentially a full time job. So you'd be working two full time jobs while maintaining your buy & holds... that can be overwhelming. 

  • Investor · Aliso Viejo, CA · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    @Craig Curelop- Thanks for the insight, much appreciated. With a buy & hold focus, would you recommend staying in a market close to home or take a risk out of state?  The challenge with the Orange County market is price (difficult to find any single family property under 500k) and minimal net income per month. Out of state can be multifamily available from 300-500k, but the challenge is managing that property.

  • Investor · Aliso Viejo, CA · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    @Taylor L.- Thanks for the response. I will need to raise capital once I get started but my current focus is identifying my niche so I can start looking for the right deals. Once I get that nailed down I can start looking to raise capital.

  • Craig CurelopBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Post Falls, ID · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    @Austin McAnena - I'm not sure how tied you are to Orange County. There are a couple of options. 

    1. You could relocate to a cheaper area.

    2. You could find a property that is within 2 hours of where you live? I'm sure there is something within a 2 hour radius. 

    3. Keep saving until you can afford OC prices. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Mission Viejo, CA · Member since 2014 · 230 posts · 113 votes
    9y

    Hi @Austin McAnena

    Welcome to BP!  This is absolutely the BEST place to connect with other like-minded real estate investors!

    I live in Mission Viejo and purchase multifamily out-of-state.  I'd be happy to meet you for coffee sometime if you are interested.  Just let me know.

    Best,

    Bill

  • Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 933 posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    Austin,

    Couple thoughts for you.  Since you are looking outside CA as one option, you could look at participating in syndications in the niche areas you are interested in.  I call this the earn and learn approach.  You can earn alongside experts, see how they do it, deciding if it's the niche you want to be more active with down the road.   Sounds like you have a busy career you enjoy and are thinking of creating passive income.  If you are accredited investor you have a lot of choices in syndication deals which I think are also ideal for out of state investing since you don't have to worry about managing the asset / property, the general partner does all the work but that does not mean you have to be passive in your thinking.  Good syndicators have active / hybrid investors as passive investors too because think about it, can you really be great at all the different niches?  If you are not accredited, there are deals where syndicators will take a limited number of non - accredited / sophisticated investors so you could get started now.

    For instance, you may get that mobile home parks (MHP) is a great place to put some money, but you love to be active in MF because that is your passion.  You could tomorrow be investing with MHP operators that have years of experience, be invested in a pool of properties (diversification) and getting cash flow into your bank account monthly in about 90 days from signing up.  Great, invest passively in syndication deals w/MHPs and start attending local MF meetup groups in your area and get more active along that lines.  Several ways to get involved.  Don't think DIY or not.  It's not black or white...either I'm active or not.  I think most folks can appreciate some part of their portfolio in passive opportunities and can also get that they can learn and earn along the way before they start thinking about become more active in it.  Active can come with an immense amount of time, pain and lost money as you learn the ropes.  It does not have to be that way.

  • Investor · Aliso Viejo, CA · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    @David Thompson David thank you for the thorough insight, I really appreciate it. I'm not very familiar with syndication deals so I will have to start doing some research (minimum investment required, type of returns, etc.) to see if that is a good opportunity to pursue for my situation. It's nice to know there are options, including passive options while focusing on choosing and solidifying a niche.

  • Ivan BarrattBusiness Member
    Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2015 · 764 posts · 953 votes
    9y

    @Austin McAnena a great, basic book on how a larger apartment deal is put together and syndicated is Ken McElroy's book: "The Advance Guide To Real Estate." I prefer the audio version via Audible.

    Best,

  • Rental Property Investor · Brooklyn, NY · Member since 2014 · 722 posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    @Austin McAnena

    I just want to point out that, as a marketing professional, you have a built-in advantage over most people here, because so much of real estate is marketing, and people don't realize this.  If you want to break in with brokers, you need to market yourself to them.  If you want to raise money for deals, you need to market yourself and the deals to investors.

    My friend Joe Fairless has a background in marketing and I know that one of the biggest factors in his fast success is that he was able to harness his deep knowledge and experience in marketing and apply it in the real estate field to grow his investment business.  Listen to Joe's podcast.  I am sure you will see a lot in common with yourself and learn a lot from him. 

    Good luck!

  • Investor · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2016 · 19 posts · 18 votes
    9y

    Austin, have you considered house-hacking a duplex in OC?  You live in one unit, and rent the other.  Lenders will allow you to add around 75% of rental income to your existing income if there is an established rental history on the property or there is an existing tenant under a lease.  That allows you to afford a larger payment and higher purchase price.  You also can put less down on the property (most banks require min 20% down on investment properties, but as little as 5% if it is your primary home, even though one unit is rented to someone else).  You can live it in for a couple years, gain some equity, then use the equity for another property in the same way.

  • Investor · Aliso Viejo, CA · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 6 votes
    6y

    @Bill Manassero 3 years overdue but I'm definitely interested in taking you up on your offer to connect if still on the table. Thanks for reaching out previously

  • Rental Property Investor · Mission Viejo, CA · Member since 2014 · 230 posts · 113 votes
    6y
    @Austin McAnena would love to get together. We can do coffee real early if it works for you. I’m in Laguna Woods and there’s a great Coffee Bean over here on Moulton. Message me back so we can schedule something.
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