New investor from San Jose (Bay Area) California

[Radhika M.]

I have been reading bigger pockets for about 5 months and now decided it is high time I introduce myself. I have already learnt a lot from bigger pockets and hope to continue to learn and contribute in anyway I can

I am a software engineer in the bay area and have lived in the bay area for the last 17 years. Both my husband and myself believe strongly in real estate investing and have some investments in India  (where we are originally from and still have families there) for quite some time.  We have been wanting to invest in bay area (other than our primary home) but for various reasons held back. We finally decided to take the leap in 2014 and bought a 4 plex in San Jose.  

We are still learning to be land lords and real estate investors. We would like to grow faster but because of the costs involved in investing in this area we want to move slowly and take our time. We are pretty conservative with our money by nature.

Goal this year is to take care of the roof replacement and other work needed  on the 4 plex we own and get the rents to market rate. We would also like to buy another property but with the prices are rising we may have to wait and see.

[Account Closed]

Radhika,

Welcome to Biggerpockets.  If you have invested in real estate in India and own your house in the Bay Area, hopefully you would agree with this saying that "Cash-flow pays the bill.  Appreciation makes you rich."  Run the numbers and see what I mean.  Appreciation blows cash-flow out of the water.  We have debated this topic on BP ad nauseam.  If you're interested in reading those, use the search button and look up Appreciation vs. Cash-flow, or Why Appreciation Matters, etc.....

@Johnson H. is hosting a monthly meet-up at Whisper Cafe & Creperie in North San Jose, at the corner of Brokaw and Oakland Road, next Thursday 4/16 at 7PM although some of us early birds are there at around 4PM.  It's FREE to attend and a great place to rub elbow and exchange investment ideas with other local investors.  

With respect to your 4-plex purchase, we're currently in contract to sell our 6-unit apartment to a 4-plex 1031 exchange buyer, who sold their 4-plex in late Dec 2014 in 95124.  Their 4plex needs a new roof too.  It would be hilarious if you happened to be the buyer of the 4-plex.  

Talking about cheap financing, @Sandeep S. might also be able to help you out.  He can take your non-performing property and make it cash-flow with his financing magic.

Cheers.