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Updated over 3 years ago, 02/28/2021
Best markets to live and invest?
And now we're confronting the decision on where to move, and where in the country would best serve our financial goals of reducing our personal living expenses and present the most opportunity for acquiring and operating income property. We also want to find some place we enjoy living, or at the very least, tolerate for 5 years as we build our portfolio. I personally would love to live in Texas... San Antonio is the most likely candidate, but I know that Texas is a hot market and I am left wondering if maybe I'm just too late to the party there. The property tax situation there seems like it could be a significant risk to cashflow, especially given the appreciation we've been seeing there. And I wonder if we'd even be able to compete as part-time/beginner investors there. So what do you guys think? Does Texas still make sense for small/part-time investors? Or should I be looking elsewhere?
Or, let me re-frame the question just a bit. If we wanted to optimize our lives for a low cost of living/tax burden the most opportunity for building our real estate portfolio in a beginner-friendly market, where should we be looking? We're pretty much open to any/all possibilities. What do you think?
Appreciate all of your input!
Originally posted by @Josh Deeden:
Originally posted by @John Morgan:
@Josh Deeden
Anywhere in Texas. Half of California is moving here and it will be a hot market for years to come with TX being business friendly. I have 9 SFRs in the DFW area and demand is insane.
That's encouraging. Curious to know, what are your rents and have you been able to raise them with any regularity?
My rents are from $1200/mo to $1950/month. My best ROI is on properties in the 150-170k price range where I can get around 1% in rent I've noticed rent prices going up quite a bit lately. I only raise mine from $15-$30 more per month each year. Property taxes eat up a lot of your profits but appreciation has gone through the roof mine are appreciating around 10-15%/year.
Originally posted by @Luke Boasiako:
@Antonio Cucciniello. I have been keeping my eyes on San Antonio for sometime your recommendation for a wholesaler would come in handy. Thanks in advance Antonio
Yeah sure just shoot me a message asking for it and I will send it
@Josh Deeden I live in central IL, and I know people love to hate on IL and the midwest, but to give you an idea on the cost of living, you can buy a pretty nice house (2-3 bed and 1-2 bath) for under $150K and sometimes quite a bit cheaper than that even. The rental market is pretty good, a lot of investors buy 4-8 plex buildings for well under $200K depending on neighborhood. My understanding is that this is the case for IL, IA, IN, and Ohio (assuming you do not live in Chicago or one of the bigger cities, but almost all rural areas have a super low cost of living)
Love this post! Great info all around. I am a born & raised Texan, like most all Texans I love my state and I highly recommend it. However, San Antonio I am not a fan of. That's just my personal opinion. Austin is beautiful, in some places it doesn't even feel like Texas because its that pretty. I have lived Houston for the last 6-7 years and love it as well. If you wanted to look in some outlying cities there I would suggest Spring, Cypress, etc. BUT like others mentioned it is a hot market with no signs of slowing down, but not impossible.
@Josh Deeden We're still netting around 40+ new residents per day here in Charleston, SC. We've had a net gain of 30-50 people per day for like 5 years now. It's good and bad, of course, but the biggest challenge at the moment is a severe lack of inventory for investors and retail buyers.
- Troy Gandee
@Josh Deeden Great post and great contributions from everyone.
You have received great suggestions, the final decision is yours. I will suggest you narrow your research to one state then two cities. Texas is great for several reasons that you already know.
I can chat with you for few minutes if you have specific questions about Houston or Austin Texas.
Goodluck
- Wale Lawal
- [email protected]
- (832) 776-9582
- Podcast Guest on Show #469
@Deneuve Brutus I will steal your line next time I meet a client from outside NOVA. Me, "Do you know you are in the Silicon Valley of the East."
Originally posted by @Ika Sargeant:
@Deneuve Brutus I will steal your line next time I meet a client from outside NOVA. Me, "Do you know you are in the Silicon Valley of the East."
Go right ahead! :)
Hudson Valley , NY !
@Antonio Cucciniello Hello Antonio. I currently live in Arizona and I plan on moving to Texas this summer. I’m eyeing Houston but I would like your opinion on the real estate market in Houston compared to Austin, San Antonio in regards to house flipping. Thanks!
@Alexander Knowles
Hello Alexander. I’m an aspiring house flipper and plan to move to the Houston Texas area this summer and I would like to know what’s your opinion on the Houston market compared to San Antonio , Dallas , Austin market in regards to house flipping? Thanks!
@Josh Deeden That's exciting Josh, moving from California is a good idea putting yourself in a better market to make more money with what you have. As for where to, Texas would be a good idea, but I also recommend considering Columbus, Ohio, Columbus is a fast-growing city with a housing market on fire. At my brokerage, we often work with out-of-state investors from California that really enjoy investing in Ohio. Hope that can help you out in figuring out a new location. Best of luck Josh whether you come to Columbus or go to Texas.
- Patrick Drury
- [email protected]
- (614) 412-4565
Originally posted by @Jim D.:
Are you thinking about a move to or investment in NV? I wouldn't consider the whole Las Vegas Valley "pricey" but that may depend on what you're looking for and a person's frame of reference (certainly not compared to Austin!).
We are in the same boat as the OP--thinking through our options for after the youngest graduates. We are native Houstonians and LOVE so much about our city, but the heat and humidity makes it hard to actually be active outdoors for 9+ months of the year. (Lots of people do it but after hiking ONCE in Colorado we knew we couldn't stay here forever.) We love the desert+mountain climates the best and have NV on the list of places to consider. Thus my questions! Thanks for the response!
@Josh Deeden
Hi Josh. If you want to keep catching beautiful fish like in your profile picture, and get to invest in good cash flow real estate - you can do both in Eastern North Carolina. New Bern and Jacksonville are close to the coast, but you can find affordable properties with good demand that make sense. And the fishing is fantastic!
@Josh Deeden I just sold my business in Orange County and moved to North Carolina 3 weeks ago. Already bought two properties out here, and I’m just getting started. No regrets. (Except it’s been raining like crazy and I’ve missed the sun)
Originally posted by @Alton Bell:
@Antonio Cucciniello Hello Antonio. I currently live in Arizona and I plan on moving to Texas this summer. I’m eyeing Houston but I would like your opinion on the real estate market in Houston compared to Austin, San Antonio in regards to house flipping. Thanks!
sure thing shoot me whatever message you got
@Josh Deeden
Your story is insanely similar to mine down to me and my wifes age, us living in southern California (Downey) and where we plan on moving to in 8 months to start our real estate journey in house hacking..lol she has family out there . Thats the main reason we choose san antonio TX.. good luck man
@Troy Jaster
Could you shoot me that info too. Me and this guys situation is unbelievably similar. Lol thx
Originally posted by @Marlon Brimmer:
@Troy Jaster
Could you shoot me that info too. Me and this guys situation is unbelievably similar. Lol thx
Hey Marlon, just sent you a DM. Let's connect soon!
@Josh Deeden Michigan -- For quality of life buy a house on one of the lakes, Every amenity you could ask for and beautiful all season sports. For work invest in some of the depressed areas like Flint or Detroit or Grayling. One example of one of my investments -- SFR I bought for 19.9 and renovated for 3 (that's a whopping $23k). It brings in 925 a month and renters have not missed a payment even during the pandemic. If you're from a different state and not used to those numbers there's a good chance your not even going to be able to wrap your mind around it. The ROI is unbeatable. Quality of life is pretty amazing.
Hi Josh,
I see from your profile pic you enjoy fishing. Two places I search/have investments are in Charleston, SC (James/John's Island) and St. Pete. FL. both great for fishing. One thing to remember is humidity and lack of hiking w/elevation. Have you have q and a please feel free to reach out. Also remember, if you buy a house and hack it but don't love your new city keep it and move on.
Originally posted by @John Morgan:
Originally posted by @Josh Deeden:
Originally posted by @John Morgan:
@Josh Deeden
Anywhere in Texas. Half of California is moving here and it will be a hot market for years to come with TX being business friendly. I have 9 SFRs in the DFW area and demand is insane.
That's encouraging. Curious to know, what are your rents and have you been able to raise them with any regularity?
My rents are from $1200/mo to $1950/month. My best ROI is on properties in the 150-170k price range where I can get around 1% in rent I've noticed rent prices going up quite a bit lately. I only raise mine from $15-$30 more per month each year. Property taxes eat up a lot of your profits but appreciation has gone through the roof mine are appreciating around 10-15%/year.
Originally posted by @Josh Deeden:
Originally posted by @John Morgan:
Originally posted by @Josh Deeden:
Originally posted by @John Morgan:
@Josh Deeden
Anywhere in Texas. Half of California is moving here and it will be a hot market for years to come with TX being business friendly. I have 9 SFRs in the DFW area and demand is insane.
That's encouraging. Curious to know, what are your rents and have you been able to raise them with any regularity?
My rents are from $1200/mo to $1950/month. My best ROI is on properties in the 150-170k price range where I can get around 1% in rent I've noticed rent prices going up quite a bit lately. I only raise mine from $15-$30 more per month each year. Property taxes eat up a lot of your profits but appreciation has gone through the roof mine are appreciating around 10-15%/year.
I'm always looking. Two of the last three properties I bought in the DFW area were off the MLS. Both had tenants with them. I'm ok buying old beat up properties from tired landlords with tenants in place. I don't have to fix them up right away. I can slowly save up $ and fix them up as I have cash. Then raise rents a little. Look for properties on Zillow that don't have pics. Chances are they have tenants in there. I go for those. Lol