Pittsburgh Duplex: First out state purchase!

[Nicole De Lia]

Aaaah! We're doing it. After listening to 200ish BP podcast episodes, my husband and I are buying our first out of state rental... a duplex. We own our primary and one rental in Long Beach, CA and are looking forward to this new venture. I'm looking for ANY input/feedback about Pittsburgh-pit falls, things to look out for, great upgrades to make as a landlord. Would also love any good stories about people who own in PA. Thanks!

[Jim K.]

@Nicole De Lia

Hi Nicole. I live here. I own multiple properties here. I bought the last three of them as straight cash sales with no contingencies, no inspections, and we closed in three weeks or less. I am the definition of a local Pittsburgh investor, and I have nothing to gain or lose through any sort of interaction with you.

The thought buying anything in Pittsburgh sight unseen for any reason with the help of people I'm not related by blood or marriage to makes me break out in a cold sweat. This place is weird, fundamentally strange in its own peculiar way. I cannot emphasize that enough.

That being said, I also have to admit that this is one of the best places in the USA to do what you're trying to do. Don't let anyone tell you the numbers aren't real, they most certainly are.

If you can afford to lose the money you're putting into this deal, you should make the investment. Even if the purchase goes bad, what you'll learn will be invaluable. Pittsburgh is the place to be for what you're doing. Commit to the process of becoming a regular Pittsburgh investor, hang out here on BP with the Pittsburghers, study the city, its history, its culture, and its strangeness, and eventually you will be richly rewarded. Let the dilettantes go their way looking for the easy, safe, problem-free bucks in real estate, as if there were such things.

Build your team as you go, learn to trust their strengths and work around their weaknesses.

I really like the idea of doing a videocall with your agent holding a camera (FaceTime) as you walk through a property. I suspect that's exactly what I'll be doing someday directing my business from somewhere nicer than here. Make sure the agent brings a good LED flashlight, too, you'll probably need it to look in darker spaces. This will probably take time to learn how to do well, so how about practicing with a FaceTime call with someone you know in a space that you're very familiar with (your home, perhaps)? That way, you can start getting used to some of the ways your cell phone might lie to you.

Good luck to you!