No wallflower here!

[Emery Green]

If life has taught me anything so far, it's that things tend to happen for me when I just jump in. So, in that spirit, I would like to introduce myself as one of the newer members to the BP website and start building my relationship with you all in the broader BP community. Having recently cut my teeth in the toughest real estate market in the US (SF Bay Area) I am ready to take my profits and build my portfolio in Baltimore. In fact, I am in the process of closing on my first Baltimore investment and am looking forward to buying additional residential rental properties in Baltimore city. While my background and skills as a clinical psychologist might not help me out in the financial acumen department of REI, undoubtedly my personable yet professional nature, my skill and motivation to understand others, and my desire to find mutually beneficial outcomes will help me as a landlord. I'm looking forward to learning more from you all as I embark in this new venture while also sharing my knowledge and abilities with the BP community. While I am not yet in Bmore, I am eager to begin my local networking. If anything I've said sounds interesting to you, please feel free to reach out (especially if you're local to Baltimore, or 21218). Looking forward to contributing to your personal, professional and financial growth! Sincerely, Emery

[Dave Visaya]

Hey @Emery Green, glad to have you here! Let us know how we can help! And you should jump in, the community is pretty great here. You'll love it :)

[Account Closed]

I was raised in 21218, been in Balto. now for 74 years, developing what will be the largest bar Restruant in The Charles North community, own a portfolio of commercial and residential properties, auctioneer, investor, artist, with a family business with son and wife.

At this time have a number of wholesale properties we'll be offering at public auction; all have great equity. Have real estate MeetUp in April.

Reach out anytime, always available to chat.

Charles

[Adrienne Johnson]

Welcome to BP! I'm currently looking in the Baltimore area as well. I'm farming for a good area to jump in and it looks like we have our eyes set on the same zip code. We should cross paths...!

[Emery Green]

Adrienne Johnson Charles Parrish and Dave Visaya

Such a pleasure to make your virtual acquaintance! I look forward to reaching out and making myself available to you all. Adrienne, it's lovely to see another woman out there working hard and making it happen in this game. Charles, I'm impressed by your accomplishments and your ability to seemingly juggle it all over the years! Dave, thank you for your warm welcome and for getting me excited about this new community I am joining. To each of you, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn from you and to offer what I can to support your successes as well.

I do have a couple questions that come to mind right now, those being:

1) Is it commonplace for people on this forum to meet face to face?

2) In Maryland, can one get a real estate license for the sole purpose of acquiring access to the MLS for investment purposes? It seemed to me that the licensing requirements outlined on the department of labor, licensing, and regulations website require that someone applying to get their salesperson license must have a job lined up via a licensed broker. If not, is there a way to get access and do ones own homework without an agent?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Best,
Emery

[Christian Sifuentes]

Welcome to BP! I am a newbie to the community under 6 months but it has been all positive the amount of information disposable to everyone in the forums. I know the REI meet ups are popular and I have attend the one in Frederick last month. I am tagging @Russell Brazil who may be able to answer your question about RE license requirements.  

Good luck with your goals and objectives!

[Robert Musallam]

Hey Emery Green welcome to BP! Lots of good information and great folks here to get you going!

Where about in the Bay Area did you buy? Sounds like you did really well for yourself!! Anyways, best of luck to you in Baltimore and on your future investments!!

[Russell Brazil]

@Christian Sifuentes Thanks for tagging me.

@Emery Green You need to be under a broker to get MLS access. If you only want your license just to have MLS access.....it probably is not worth the cost to have your license, pay MLS dues, associations dues, sentrilock dues, pay for and take CE classes...plus be subject to the additional scrutiny of the real estate commission. I typically tell people that it is only worth getting your license if you are doing 5 transactions a year or more...and then, only if you are looking at it from a financial perspective. A number of investors do not want to have their license, even if it is financially in their favor due to having to deal with the increased government oversite from the real estate commission and other agencies.

[Emery Green]

@ChristianSifuentes Thank you for the virtual introduction to @Russell Brazil. Russell, Thank you for your insight. having jumped through many hoops for other professional licenses, I am well aware that it can cost a lot in time and money and not always have a beneficial outcome. Thanks for breaking it down for me.

@Robert Musallam, Thank you for the warm welcome! My husband and I bought a cute little Victorian on a lovely block in W. Oakland in a part of the neighborhood that is seeing A LOT of development. We have loved it here in the bay, but we are ready to expand our portfolio in a market that will actually allow us to do so. The sale of this house is our ticket!

[Ned Carey]

Welcome to BP @Emery Green there is a large contingent of Baltimore area members here on BP. There are also a number of good REI clubs in the area. May favorite is the BWI Meetup.

[Jonathan Payne]

Hi @Emery Green - Has your home hit the market yet? I always am dealing with buyers and would love to give them a heads up on a coming soon if it hasn't...Cheers

Jonathan

[Kim Coleman]

Welcome to BP @Emery Green ! I too am looking for buy and holds in Baltimore from a distance.  About 90 minutes away so much less than you!  I too have identified 21218 as a target location.  Please stay in touch and let me know once you land here or reach out anytime.

Cheers to our success in 2016!

Kim

[Rob Hoffman]

Hi Emery,

With the gentrification that is taking place in west Oakland and additions coming to the uptown area did you consider holding the property for maybe a couple more years and taking a loan against it? Just wondering. I'm sure you made a handsome profit. Congrats and good luck!

[Emery Green]

@Ned Carey @Kim Coleman @Jonathan Payne, Thanks so much for your comments! 

Ned, that's a great resource! I look forward to meeting you face to face at a BWI meetup once I arrive in Bmore.

Jonathan, we have not sold yet! We are in the process of putting some beautifying touches on the house and plan on getting it ready for the market the second week of April. PM me if you would like any more information or if I can put you in touch with my Realtor.

Kim, Thanks so much for introducing yourself! I will be arriving Baltimore in June and would welcome any opportunities to meet up and/or talk shop. I second your cheers to our success!

[Tamara V.]

Welcome to BP @Emery Green! I am new to BP as of November. Does that still make me new? lol BP is great for all the advice that is willingly shared and the podcasts are awesome. I, too, am looking at Baltimore as well. In the past I have been LL but am now looking to rehab property. I'm building out a team of professionals and spend a lot of time driving the streets of Baltimore. Look me up when you get to town; I'd love to talk shop. 

[Emery Green]

Rob Hoffman great question! We did consider it and decided at the end of the day that the narrow margin we would earn on it was waaaaaay too close, especially considering that we are moving across the country and would have to manage it from a distance. We plan to take our profits and buy several properties in Bmore which will generate more income for us overall. I could kick myself later, but with the information I have now, this seems to make the most sense.

Tamara V. Thanks for introducing yourself! I'm a pretty gregarious person if you haven't been able to tell and ALWAYS welcome the possibility to meet new people and talk shop! I'll definitely reach out once I'm in your area.