thinking about buying a 4plex with no re experience and no idea where to start

[Ben Jones]

yeah as title. i have a mortgage on my own house. recently a 4plex on fb caught my eye. theyre listing for 300k, new construction, on i think 1/2 acre or 1 acre mostly seems a big dirt parking lot in front. 1800sq ft. they claim the units rent for 1050. obviously these are small units 1 bed 1 bath, doing the math 1800/4 is 450 sq ft per unit. they look nice, being new construction, albeit spartan inside, metal building, concrete floors, washer dryer hookup. semi rural Oklahoma but about 80-100 miles from dfw. they also say all units are under 6 month lease (it seems to be friends of theirs, i'm guessing, as they mentioned it was full "despite not even listing it yet"?) for 1050/month all bills paid. they claim this cash flows 3600/month (4200-600). the math on that is they say electric is 90 unit, trash and water is 50 each for all 4 so theres your 600 and say they can provide receipts on all this. it's located  a handful of miles, about 6-8, outside the nearest small town with a wal mart etc.

one thing is it seems better apts, in town with 600-800 ft, go for more like 1k no bills paid. even adjusting for the all bills paid part, i feel like 1050 is aggressive on these. otoh near me some crappy tiny apt with mold and everything go for 750, and these are much nicer than that. i think 700-800 would be an absolute floor on what they could rent for.

i guess i just have no idea for example, insurance? is it more expensive being 4 tenants? they claim they pay 105/month insurance. this seems pretty low, granted its in the ballpark of what i pay on my own 1100 sq ft house, but i just feel like a 4 plex would be higher? how does the fact youre renting to tenants play into the insurance?? i would assume it might be much higher?

another maybe odd thing i worry about is it's a bit in the country, with 4 doors right next to each other i worry the tenants could fight, drama, drug deals, noise complaints, i have no idea but it just seems a bit strange. the layout just seems very conducive to drama, 4 door out front literally spaced ten ft apart with nothing else directly around and one big parking lot out front.

another concern i have is, i understand there are laws limiting how many people can be in apt. these being 1 bed 1 bath, thats room for what 1 couple, and one child at most? i worry what if tenants try to move a bunch of people in? i'm figuring it being rural ok, enforcement of laws/codes/taxes etc is gonna be lax as it gets, but still.

also how do the taxes work? they claim taxes are 100/month. again, seems aggressive but slightly plausible being its outside city limits. are the taxes more on rentals units?

what does anybody think? i really am a bit clueless.

[Nathan Gesner]

It sounds like you need some education before jumping in. Even if this property is a good investment, you don't know how to manage it once you have it. The smallest of mistakes can turn a great property into a money pit.

1. Start with BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide (free). It will familiarize you with the basic terminology and benefits. Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner or The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.

2. Get your finances in order. Get rid of debt, build a budget, and save. The idea that you can build wealth without putting any money into it is a recipe for disaster and the sales pitch of gurus trying to steal your money. A wise investor will not try to get rich quick with shortcuts. If you can't keep control of your personal finances, you are highly unlikely to succeed in real estate investing. Check out my personal favorite, Set For Life by Scott Trench , or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.

3. As you read these books, watch the BiggerPockets podcasts. This will clarify and reinforce what you are reading. You can hear real-world examples of how others have built their investment portfolio and (hopefully) learn to avoid their mistakes.

4. NETWORK!!! Get out of your comfort zone. Stop hanging out with your deadbeat buddies that spend all day drinking, talking sports, and otherwise wasting away. Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area. You can also find real estate investing groups through meetup.com, facebook, or a Google search. Birds of a feather flock together!

5. Now you need to figure out how to find deals and pay for them. Again, the BiggerPockets store has some books for this or you can learn by watching podcasts, reading blogs, and interacting on the forum. A handy search bar in the upper right makes it easy to find previous discussions, blogs, podcasts, and other resources. BiggerPockets also has a calculator you can use to analyze deals and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy. If you consistently analyze properties, recognizing a good deal will be much easier when it shows up. Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice. It doesn't take long to learn how to spot a good deal.

6. Study the market. You can learn to do this independently or get a rockstar REALTOR to lead the way. I highly recommend a well-qualified REALTOR who works with investors and knows how to help you best.

7. Jump in! Far too many get stuck in the "paralysis by analysis" stage, thinking they just don't know enough to get started. You could read 100 books and still not know enough because certain things must be learned through trial and error. You don't need to know everything to get started; you need a foundation to build on and the rest will come through experience and then refining your education.

You can build a basic understanding of investing in 3-6 months. How long it takes to be financially ready is different for everyone. Once you're ready, create a goal (e.g. "I will buy at least one single-family home, duplex, triplex, or fourplex before the end of 2019") and then do it. Real estate investing is a forgiving world; the average person can still make money even with some big mistakes.