Need advice on whether to purchase a 5 plex

[Jared Lundy]

I am looking at buying a 5 plex in a very small town. It is about 15 min in between two other towns that have a population of 4000 and 8000. They are asking 100000 for it and it gross rents equal about 2250 a month. The owners are open to negotiation on the price. The problems with the unit is that there are several water leaks and it looks like the whole roof will need to be replaced and the total cost of that along with other repairs would be closer to 35000. If the unit was full fixed up, it would only be worth around 120000 probably so there is not much place for building equity into it. If i could get the price down to 70000 then i would be all in for around 110000, but even in future i don't see this place increasing in value much. It would cash flow though between 700 to 1000 per month. My question is, is it worth it to buy an older 5 plex that wont really increase in value in a small town but it will cash flow (at least it does right now) or because it will probably never gain much equity and will continue to need repairs, should i pass on it? 

Any thoughts are welcome.

[Frank Avallone II]

Hey @Jared Lundy I come across similar situations sometimes my self. Ideally you would always want to see some indication for appreciation over time. However, depending on your financial situation and investment portfolio it could still make sense. Have you been looking with out finding anything for a while? Do you have other investment properties? Does this amount of cash exposure put you in an uncomfortable place? If you can really see 700-100 cash flow on a property that you can pick up for 125k, it seems like a great return on investment.

One other factor is just how bad are these water issues. I've looked at hundreds of houses in the last few years and water always seems to be the issue. You just have to be careful because water infiltration commonly means mold. 

Is the property in a condition that you can see more problems arising as time goes on? If this is the case then it might not be worth the headache.

[Frank Avallone II]

Hey @Jared Lundy I come across similar situations sometimes my self. Ideally you would always want to see some indication for appreciation over time. However, depending on your financial situation and investment portfolio it could still make sense. Have you been looking with out finding anything for a while? Do you have other investment properties? Does this amount of cash exposure put you in an uncomfortable place? If you can really see 700-100 cash flow on a property that you can pick up for 125k, it seems like a great return on investment.

One other factor is just how bad are these water issues. I've looked at hundreds of houses in the last few years and water always seems to be the issue. You just have to be careful because water infiltration commonly means mold. 

Is the property in a condition that you can see more problems arising as time goes on? If this is the case then it might not be worth the headache.

[Jared Lundy]

This would be my first rental property and it is 45 min from where I live. There aren’t any property managers out that way either. It is an older building so maybe I should pass on it and start out in the rental market with a property that’s a little easier to upkeep.

[Ali Boone]

I'm kind of a 3 strikes I'm out kind of girl. This property teeters that. Small population town so very small tenant pool, already known issues with the property condition (what happens if those repairs end up costing a lot more than you think?), and a couple other questions.

Keep in mind if you're talking about a 5plex, that changes the dynamic of things because now it's a commercial property and not residential. That means the value is now based on the income, not on the market. Which means, the value won't increase if you can't increase the rents, and those will be determined to an extent by the market. And financing on commercial is different.

[Michael Plante]

Quote from @Jared Lundy:

I am looking at buying a 5 plex in a very small town. It is about 15 min in between two other towns that have a population of 4000 and 8000. They are asking 100000 for it and it gross rents equal about 2250 a month. The owners are open to negotiation on the price. The problems with the unit is that there are several water leaks and it looks like the whole roof will need to be replaced and the total cost of that along with other repairs would be closer to 35000. If the unit was full fixed up, it would only be worth around 120000 probably so there is not much place for building equity into it. If i could get the price down to 70000 then i would be all in for around 110000, but even in future i don't see this place increasing in value much. It would cash flow though between 700 to 1000 per month. My question is, is it worth it to buy an older 5 plex that wont really increase in value in a small town but it will cash flow (at least it does right now) or because it will probably never gain much equity and will continue to need repairs, should i pass on it? 

Any thoughts are welcome.

 Bad cash flow and little to no appreciation 

I would not get it