Tips for newbie investing in SFH

Tips for newbie investing in SFH

Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 16 posts · 7 votes

Hi Everyone,

I am a new investor and just placed an offer on a SFH in my own neighborhood (Norwood, OH area of Cincinnati), and this will be my first property. Really excited to get my feet wet assuming this deal closes!

First, about my goals.  I have a 10-15 year goal of accumulating 30-40 doors (both SFHs and multi's) to achieve financial independence, and provide a better future for my family.  I have a long way to go, but the only place to start is with house #1.

Here are the specs for the current home I am offering on: 

4 br, 2 ba SFH - relatively turn key, requires minor updates ($2k - $3k)

I would consider this a B- property.  It is in good shape, but not high end, and would likely be rented to a middle, working class family.  The Norwood neighborhood is very spotty.  I live in the higher-end side, and this rental would be on the lower-end side.

$63,500 - expected purchase price.  Would put 25% down

$1,100 - expected rent (may be a little on the high end - could still make the numbers work at $1,000)

$545 - PITI

$110 - 10% monthly maintenance costs, includes cap ex.  House has a new roof, furnace, and A/C so expecting lower cap ex expenses for next 10 years

$110 - 10% monthly vacancy savings

$310 - MONTHLY CASH FLOW.  Would manage the property myself, and assuming tenant would pay all utilities.

20.4% COC, 9.9% cap rate, 1.7% rent to purchase price.

If it rented for $1,000 per month, 15.1% COC, 8.4% cap, 1.6% rent to purchase price

My biggest question I have is that, being a single family, I will have higher vacancy liability since income will be $0 during months of vacancy.  Is 10% / $110 per month enough to accrue for expected vacancy in the future, or should I bump it to 15% vacancy rate?

Also, am I missing anything in my calculations?

I put an offer in, but still have time to back-out with the inspection contingency if something in my gut tells me to turn around, or the numbers don't look good at second glance.

Thanks!

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Developer · Boise, ID · Member since 2009 · 168 posts · 112 votes
10y

Even if you self manage, always plug in a management expense. There's a point when you'll be sitting on the beach and sipping on something tropical and you'll have that expense...

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  • Flipper/Rehabber · Miamisburg, OH · Member since 2014 · 161 posts · 64 votes
    10y

    Good luck! Hope it works out.  Numbers seem pretty good.  For vacancy, 8% (1 month) should be ok.  Also check out @Joe Fairless monthly meeting here in Cincy (Deer Park) on the last Tuesday of the month. 

  • Davis, CA · Member since 2016 · 595 posts · 344 votes
    10y

    in my area, tenants pay gas and electric, but not usually water sewer and garbage... I would lock that up, it can be allot.

  • Investor · Meridian, ID · Member since 2015 · 24 posts · 19 votes
    10y

    I would look into inventory levels and vacancy levels in your area.  I live in the Boise, Idaho area and our inventory is low and rentals are in high demand.  We have owned one of our rentals for over 7 years and  it hasn't been vacant for more than 10 days total.  Its always good to be conservative in your numbers, but 10-15% seems high to me.  However, if you can save that much extra per month, you will have plenty if disaster strikes. Other than that, your numbers look pretty good.  Good luck with your first rental property!

  • Real Estate Agent · Lehi, UT · Member since 2016 · 136 posts · 91 votes
    10y
    Becky Farnsworth I'm from Meridian!!! Went to Meridian High. I'm thinking about coming to Boise in a couple weeks to check out some building lots. My company builds new multi family investment properties. Do you know of any high density land for sale? Oh and in what part of the valley are your rentals located?
  • Rental Property Investor · Honolulu, HI · Member since 2016 · 28 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    So I'm just beginning to learn about real estate, could some one tell me what PITI, COC, and cap rate is? Much appreciation.
  • Investor · Meridian, ID · Member since 2015 · 24 posts · 19 votes
    10y

    @Sam Newell Very cool!  Meridian is a great area! We have 3 houses in Meridian and 1 in Boise. There is so much land around here, but its amazing how hard it is to find a good lot.  Meridian is getting expensive and the market is very competitive. With that being said, I don't know of a lot specifically, but I know I have seen them.  Good luck with your search!

  • Investor · Meridian, ID · Member since 2015 · 24 posts · 19 votes
    10y

    @Nathan Christensen

    PITI - principle, interest, taxes, insurance

    COC - cash on cash

    cap rate - rate of return on your real estate investment = net operating income / current market value

  • Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 16 posts · 7 votes
    10y

    @Tim G. thanks Tim!  Really appreciate the feedback.  Will certainly check out the local group in Deer Park.  I was hoping there was a local Cincy group.

    @Becky Farnsworth Thanks Becky. My thought was to accrue a little on the higher end for vacancy costs since it is my first property, and a SFH. And if after a couple of years I feel like I am not needing to tap into the entire vacancy balance, I can transfer some of the money over into funds for another property, treating that money like it was cash flow all along. But it's great to hear from other investors that it would likely be less than 10%.

    @Carson Wilcox Thanks for the input.  I've debated the water/sewer/garbage piece a lot.  If I ended up paying for that, I would definitely need to get $1,100 per mo rent to make the numbers work.  Something else to research on other local listings.

    Question for all: how do you all legally setup your business structure and properties? I know there are tons of forums on this. I think where I'm at, I want to limit personal liability and also maximize tax benefits. One investor I know personally, said to set each property up as a single member LLC. That seems like an admin and tracking hassle. I'm leaning on just one LLC for my real estate business and getting an umbrella policy to cover. I have a personal umbrella policy, so not sure if that would suffice. Also wondering if I purchased the property in my name, and then transferred it to a LLC, if that can be done and if the lender would have an issue with the property then seen as commercial.?

  • Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2016 · 105 posts · 58 votes
    10y

    @James Folsom First, congratulations on taking the big step towards being a RE investor!

    My father has owned SFHs in Cincinnati for 20 years, mostly on the west side of Cincinnati. One thing to be wary of is turnover costs. In single family homes, especially in the C- through B- category, your turnover costs for a large SFH is likely going to be more than a security deposit would cover, unless you're doing the lionshare of the work yourself.

    Also, the city of Cincinnati is raising the cost of water/sewer by 7% or something crazy like that, so I'd be interested to see how that is going to effect rents.

    I'm assuming this is an older home? Plaster walls, perhaps? Become a real pro at learner how to patch plaster because that stuff cracks and crumbles like none other in the SFH world.

    Also, I know Norwood is slightly better than the western neighborhoods like Price Hill and Westwood, but your numbers seem low for a SFH. My father's SFHs, at around $70,000, would be a 10%-12% Cap Rate with 25%-30% CoC. I'd be curious to know what the standard is for the east side.

    As far as the entity is concerned, the preferred method is to make an individual LLC for each property, but to your point, this can be a real hassle. What you outlined (having one entity and an umbrella policy) is what my father has done and it's worked well.

    Hope this all helps! Feel free to reach out with any questions. If you have any interested in learning about SFH on the west side, let me know!

  • Real Estate Agent · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2016 · 169 posts · 146 votes
    10y

    Just a note, if your property is in an LLC then for evictions in Cincinnati you will need to have an attorney do the evictions. You can do evictions on your own if the property is not in an LLC. Picking good tenants can help reduce problems with that.

    As for lenders and LLCs each lender has their own policy and you will need to talk to a few different lenders to see how they will treat LLCs. I know some lenders will allow you to quit claim a property into an LLC after purchase but for others it may trigger the due on sale clause.

  • Developer · Boise, ID · Member since 2009 · 168 posts · 112 votes
    10y

    Even if you self manage, always plug in a management expense. There's a point when you'll be sitting on the beach and sipping on something tropical and you'll have that expense...

  • Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 16 posts · 7 votes
    10y

    Well it looks like the seller is countering at 10% above my offer price, so I will likely walk away from the deal.  The seller is another investor, so clearly they have a number they are trying to hit with the sale of the home, and unfortunately I have a number I am trying to hit to make the cap rate and cash flow work like I think it should.  Those numbers are different.  On to the next opportunity!  And if I wait a little longer, I'll just keep stashing away money in the process which opens up more purchase options...

    @Account Closed thanks for the tips on the Cincy market! I think in general, the east side is lower cap rate and COC, but higher quality tenants and more trendy neighborhoods vs. the west side. However, the specific property I was looking at was more like a west side area since it is in a spotty area of Norwood. The COC and cap are lower than a likely west side property though, because I do not think rents have caught up to home values in Norwood in general. In the good parts of Norwood, home values are sky rocketing (as with many neighborhoods of Cincy), and I don't think rents have followed the same rate. Even houses on the lower end of Norwood and listing a little higher than what their rent is worth. I honestly am not very enthusiastic the more I look at Cincy properties. There are doubles, triples, and quads lined up all through the streets right down the road from my house, but talking to my neighbor who owns 8 quads, what they rent for vs. what the avg value of a MFR in the area is, they would yield less than a 10% COC....

  • Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2016 · 105 posts · 58 votes
    10y

    @James Folsom That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. With the rise of the east side, it makes it harder for the SFH investor.

    Let me know if you have any interest in the west side...the returns your looking for are easier to attain over there, and property prices are a little more reasonable than the east. I can even share some analysis on a couple of SFH in that area. Just PM if you're interested.

    Best of luck,

    - Troy

  • Contractor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2015 · 92 posts · 75 votes
    10y

    @James Folsom have you checked out Lockland/Reading? I recommend that area for a first time SFH investment. I have 3 properties there now and know many others who invest in the area. If you keep a search on zillow, you can usually snag properties that are light rehabs (Interior paint, pressure wash outside, update landscaping, replace carpet) for about 30-35K. Rents are $850-$1000. Usually ranch style properties built in the 1950s that are easy to care for.

    I don't think this is the best area to sink all of your money, but I did find that these rehabs were relatively painless for a first time investor. Menards is 2 minutes away (going back and forth 3 times per night really burns you out quick if the store is far away). 

  • Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 16 posts · 7 votes
    10y

    @Account Closed Jacob, thanks for the recommendation.  I'm not very familiar with the Reading area.  Will check it out.

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