Is this a good buy & hold duplex deal in Houston area?

Is this a good buy & hold duplex deal in Houston area?

IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes

I've recently met a great agent via BP and I am looking for a duplex to 4-plex to start as my first buy & hold deal in Houston. Just wanted to see if any of you thinks the deals below are worth considering? I believe ‘5907 Allison Rd' has the best potential out of the 3.

Below are the 3 deals I looked at and based on my cash flow calculation, '12135 Troulon Dr' unit would be a better deal than ‘5907 Allison Rd’ but from an investor's point of view, should I consider other points?

Here are my thoughts, even though all 3 properties are currently all rented out, the neighborhood looks the best for ‘5907 Allison Rd.' Also, it's built in 2007 rather than in the 70's. None of the 3 quires HOA fee so that's a plus. Also, even though ‘5907 Allison Rd' unit is closer to several industrial sites, it's still ‘cleaner' than the other 2 units. The other 2 units have couple of houses on the same block that are boarded up, liquor bottles in the front yard and graffiti painted on the front of the house. That's not a good sign, is it?

‘5907 Allison Rd’ unit is one of the small patch of 6 or so the same type of duplexes in that area and it’s right in front of a private horse ranch. It looks like all units in that area are currently occupied but you can smell the animals when you are in that area. Is that still considered as a negative point?

1of the 3 units is currently on a month to month lease rather than a yearly lease. That potentially can lead to a higher vacancy rate so should that be considered as a negative sign?

My general questions for you:

1)For a duplex priced at 200k or less, what things would you consider besides ‘cash flow?' Does school district matter? Does HOA matter?

2)The rent prices are listed for these 3 units on MLS. Are these numbers trust worthy?

below is the cash flow analysis we did:

Expenses
AddressInvestor FeelMLSAreaROICostDown Payment (20%)Cashflowexpected
income
repairs/maint
($40)
Prop Mgmt (12%)Insurance ($50)AdvertisingUtilities
(w/ tenanets)
Vacancy (13%)mortgage (30y)HOAProperty Taxes
5907 Allison Rd, duplex, renov 2, same tenantgood location, tenants, rent increase possible13105989Houston, TX10.28%$198,000.00$39,600.00$339.33$2,000.00$40.00$240.00$50.00$0.00$0.00$260.00$779.00$0.00$291.67
12135 Troulon Drnot good school district41893845Houston, TX21.59%$100,000.00$20,000.00$359.75$1,325.00$40.00$159.00$50.00$0.00$0.00$172.25$394.00$0.00$150.00
8125 beech cove lnnot good school district95983401Houston, TX18.42%$105,000.00$21,000.00$322.33$1,600.00$40.00$192.00$50.00$0.00$0.00$416.00$413.00$0.00$166.67
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Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2013 · 61 posts · 26 votes
11y

With the property on Troulon, I would recommend staying away unless you have expertise dealing in lower end neighborhoods.

I actually visited that property some time ago and the neighborhood was definitely rough to say the least. You're going to be looking at high turnover rates as well as low-quality tenants. As I said, if you don't have the controls in place to handle it, it may be wise to avoid.

Those properties have been sitting on the market for quite some time too. Unless you can negotiate with the seller on those for a lower price, I'd stay clear. (And even then, I'd be nervous about that purchase).

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  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y
    Address
    MLS
    5907 Allison Rd, duplex, renov 2, same tenant
    13105989
    12135 Troulon Dr
    41893845
    8125 beech cove ln
    95983401
  • Steve RozenbergPro Member
    Specialist · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    11y

    I used to manage the property on Allison Road when the bank owned it. 

    I am not so sure your numbers are correct on tenant turnover and maintenance. I have owned and managed hundreds of homes in this area and there tends to be a higher vacancy rate and higher maint costs because the tenants are so hard on the units. And your turnover costs will be much higher then an average makeready. Or at least I would plan on that..

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Steve Rozenberg thanks for your input. I appreciate it. I had a feeling that I've under estimated the repair/maint cost. The house is built in 2007 so the maint. cost would from wear/tear mostly?

    However, the turnover rate should be minimum since it's on a yearly lease?

    Do you mind telling me when you managed the property and when you said the bank owned it, that meant it went to foreclosure?

    Did you have any particular issues in that area? It's pretty industrial but the entire row of the duplexes are fully occupied.

  • Doug McLeodPro Member
    Investor · Cypress, TX · Member since 2014 · 496 posts · 205 votes
    11y

    @Steve Rozenberg - I've been eyeing the duplexes and triplexes on Troulon and nearby. How is that area? Sounds like higher maintenance, vacancy, and turnover. One owner is selling quite a few units on MLS.

  • Steve RozenbergPro Member
    Specialist · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    11y

    @iman 

    @Iman Yu the properties on Allison if I recall were a bunch of units clumped together, I do not recall the address numbers of which specific units, I am sure if you looked up the tax records you can see who owned which property, I know some were owned by individuals and some by a bank. I can not say which address was owned by whom. I can just tell you about the area and the clientele, and yes they are on a 1 year lease but that does not mean they will all stick to it. that is just common to that area and it is what it is. As long as you factor it into the deal that what I would suggest.

    @Doug McLeod

    I can not say about those units as the street name does not sound familiar, but if its that area I would suggest doing some due diligence and erring on the side of being conservative 

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Doug McLeod that area by Troulon really isn't ideal. It's in the Alief neighborhood. The streets are pretty torn up and the units look to be in bad shape. I'd think the turnover is high. 1 of the units I saw is rented pretty high but it's on a month to month lease. just my 0.02

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Steve Rozenberg you are right. It's a little clump of duplexes in that area. It's in the middle of industrial area with lots of empty land and a horse ranch close by. The rent is great, and the cash flow is decent ($325) but I think it may be too much of a maint. for my 1st deal. Thank you for your input!

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    the # I listed weren't very easy to read but here are the MLS info on the 3 deals I saw:

    1) 5907 Allison Rd: 13105989; ask price 198k

    2) 12135 Troulon Dr: 41893845: asking price 100k

    3) 8125 beech cove ln: 95983401: asking price 105k

  • New to Real Estate · Boston, MA · Member since 2014 · 20 posts · 1 vote
    11y

    I'm not sure what the typical occupation is for that area, but this may be worth looking into. Keep in mind that with oil prices lower for longer, many industries in Houston will suffer, not just big oil and oil service companies, but also the companies that provide software, accounting, etc to the energy industry. Every single energy company without exception has slashed their capex budgets by a minimum of 40%. Layoffs continue to follow. The market may sour quickly and I would be willing to bet there will be better real-estate deals soon enough.

  • Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2013 · 61 posts · 26 votes
    11y

    With the property on Troulon, I would recommend staying away unless you have expertise dealing in lower end neighborhoods.

    I actually visited that property some time ago and the neighborhood was definitely rough to say the least. You're going to be looking at high turnover rates as well as low-quality tenants. As I said, if you don't have the controls in place to handle it, it may be wise to avoid.

    Those properties have been sitting on the market for quite some time too. Unless you can negotiate with the seller on those for a lower price, I'd stay clear. (And even then, I'd be nervous about that purchase).

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Austin Moran thanks for your input. Yes, I am in the oil & gas industry myself and i've seen the downturn as well. I've not heard anyone projecting a bounce back yet either but I am willing to keep on looking at properties below the 200k range. I don't think that price range would be affected as much by the CAPEX budget. If they are, i think they would be pushed into a lower rental and not anything else.

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Kenneth Sok thanks for your input. I had the same feeling when I saw Troulon and Beech Cove. Allison is better though. 

    I drove/walked around Troulon and Beech Cove and saw the overall outlook on the neighborhood and occupants. It's going to require an experience PM or investor to get into that area, I think.

    However, the reason I thought it's worth looking into because they are both currently rented out and the rate will generate a positive cash flow.

  • Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2014 · 103 posts · 11 votes
    11y

    @Doug McLeod I watched those multis on/around troulon area for the past 4 months or so. Area isn't great but they could be good for cashflow. Even with high turnover costs and vacancy they still seem to pencil out.

    However, on one of the MLS sites (har, realtor, one of them) I saw in the descriptions on one of his units that it was 'undergoing flood damage repair'. Then I looked up the areas that flooded on Memorial Day, and there's a lot of zones close to there that seemed at risk. I figured it could have happened to all/most even..

    Still - they've been up there for a while, could pick all of them up and negotiate a package deal.

  • Doug McLeodPro Member
    Investor · Cypress, TX · Member since 2014 · 496 posts · 205 votes
    11y

    @Account Closed - thanks. I saw the mention of flooding also. Would definitely want to see if some are on a little higher ground or make sure the numbers account for post-flooding repairs, higher insurance, etc.  Still watching for now. 

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Account Closed

  • Doug McLeodPro Member
    Investor · Cypress, TX · Member since 2014 · 496 posts · 205 votes
    11y

    @Steve Rozenberg - do you manage this class of property at Empire?

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Doug McLeod thanks for reaching out for me. 

    My thought on that is if I can find PM for properties like this, then the only major concerns I would have is vacancy and repair/maint cost?

  • Doug McLeodPro Member
    Investor · Cypress, TX · Member since 2014 · 496 posts · 205 votes
    11y

    @Iman Yu well, you still are concerned about all costs, but the PM manages everything, so they fill vacancies (including marketing and screening) and they handle tenant calls and repairs. I suppose different PM may handle things differently, but one I use keeps a small (300-500 per house) maint reserve that I replenish if they use it toward repairs.  Sometimes they will pay your mortgage, etc and deduct from rent or they can send you all the rent less repairs and fees.

  • Steve RozenbergPro Member
    Specialist · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    11y

    @Doug McLeod we used but not anymore. We found these types of properties and clientele over the course of a year actually take double staff time with tenant lease enforcements and maintenance issues and a whole list of reasons

    I may be a little jaded I owned many like these in the past and the managed them so I took my licks pretty bad so I don't advise anyone to take these types on unless they know what they are getting into 

  • Software Engineer · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 30 posts · 17 votes
    11y

    Thanks for the great thread here. There are some very good insights and it has been tremendously valuable to hear from seasoned investors. I've been looking at properties such as these as well for my first investment, however, I am very hesitant to take on something with such high maintenance and vacancy rate. I would hate for a property like this to turn me away from REI! Good luck @Iman Yu and do let us know if you decide to invest in these properties and how it works out.

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Steve Rozenberg thanks for that input. That puts things in perspective for me. I think this type of investment deal isn't going to work for me as a newbie looking for a first rental investment property to buy & hold. Thanks for helping out.

    @Doug McLeod Thank you so much for looking at this analysis with me!

  • IT Professional · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 47 votes
    11y

    @Jimmy Chin thanks for your feedback. I always appreciate feedback so keep them coming!

    Are you listening to the BP pod casts? I think you would resonate with episode 101. Dawn Brenegen talks about why choosing the right neighborhoods is important for REI, especially for newbies like us. She also touched on 1% or 2% are rules of thumbs but not as rules to rule out good investment vs. bad ones.

    As of now, I am only slightly interested in the Allison unit but even that's questionable because of what Steve R. mentioned. I personally would value the input from reputable PM because they've dealt with the problem tenants, properties that cause them more staff to maintain than others so if they say they can't make money off a property, you probably can't either. 

    Good luck on your search! 

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