New member from the Bay Area California

[Laquel W.]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie from Northern California, specifically Oakland. I'm new to real estate investing and am interested in buy and holds, small multi-family units (primarily duplexes) as well as single family homes. I'm looking forward to reading the forums, learning and meeting others who're getting started! 

~Laquel

[Kelli D.]

Hi Laquel W., Welcome. My advice would be, always look at your numbers first and foremost; try not to get emotionally tied up in any property if you're investing in it. Make sure it cash-flows. Know how to be able to work out a cap rate, and net-income, not Gross. You'll see many properties listed for sale and it will say something like "$21,000. Gross annual income". You want the net income after all expenses like, maintenance, utilities, taxes, insurance, property management (if needed), if the property is vacant figure that in, and Cap Expenditures (any big ticket items that might need fixing or replacing once you own), things like the A/C unit, water heater etc. It's not hard at all to figure out a cap rate, or cash-flow, or some of the % rules you want to know off the top of your head. Just practice those. Brandon (from BP) of course has great videos on Percentage Rules as well as Youtube (by the experts only) on cap rates. Look up a few on Youtube so you know what they're telling you is accurate (always verify). Ok, so I hope that helps, and good luck!              

@Laquel W.