New Investor looking to buy Multifamily in Philadelphia, PA.

[Hong Y.]

Hello everyone,

First post here on Bigger Pockets. I am looking to use my VA Loan for my first multi-family home that I will be living in. Does anyone have any good recommendations as to:

who to buy from?

when is a good time to buy?

where is a good neighborhood to look into buying?

Lastly, is there anything I should watch out for or be cautious of during this endeavor?

[Nicky Lisewski]

Thanks for your service, Hong. I'm an investor as well as a real estate agent. The VA loan program is great. You are going to need to look for properties that are livable - so not anything totally gutted - unless you get a VA rehab loan.

As far as neighborhoods, is this going to be your home for a while or are you going to live there for a year and rent out the property?  Some neighborhoods that are primed for appreciation are Kensington, Germantown, parts of South Philly.  But it also depends on what you want.  If you want lawns and parking, I'd suggest the Northeast or Northwest.  

I think the most important thing is to look at a lot of properties and run your numbers.  You want to feel confident so that when you do see a good deal, you can act.