tips/advice for a starter in Az

[Levi Gale]

Hi everybody,
I am 24, work overseas, call Arizona home, and am relatively new to investing. I have made two deals so far (buy and hold REI’s), but I know I jumped into the game without proper planning, and research. With that being said I would like to get some tips from real investors, and feel fortunate to have found a site with some activity.

I want to find the most efficient ways to research property info and status. What are some good ways to find out if it is owner occupied, owner out of state, and why is it for sale? Trying to get started while out of the country has proven difficult so if anyone here has experience with distance investing and can spare some advice it would be great. However my experience has taught me that I
need a good team, but how big should I be before I employ real property managers? How important is a business plan, should I of made one before I started, after I grow, or “what are you waiting for get it done�

The past few years I have invested in local tax lien certificates, and am looking forward to the upcoming auction. So if anyone here is experienced in Arizona’s tax lien process, or wants to share some info or ideas let me know. And if there are any new investors in Arizona that want to share goals, track progress, or bounce ideas off one another shoot a message to me. I have so many questions but will leave it at that for now, I thank you for taking the time to read this, and welcome any and all advice.

[Stefan Forsberg]

Hi L Gale and welcome to BP,

Lots of great folks here that can help you with all your questions. I just joined myself last month and I have learned a lot.

Originally posted by L Gale:

I want to find the most efficient ways to research property info and status. What are some good ways to find out if it is owner occupied, owner out of state, and why is it for sale?

For checking if the property is owner occupied or if the owner is out of state, I usually check the Central Appraisal Districts information, most of the counties have this information readily available online. If the Tax bill is sent to a different address, you can almost guarantee that it is not a Owner occupied property. Here in Texas you can also check the history of the Tax records, you can see how long it has been owned by the same person.

Hope this helps a little...

//Stefan