College House in Duluth

[Matt J.]

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Duluth.

Purchase price: $102,000
Cash invested: $27,000

Taking Single Family Residence in Duluth to By-the-Bedroom College Rental

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

I knew this property, once converted to a rental, would be a high cash-flowing property due to its proximity to two colleges and being right on the bus line utilized by those students.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

I found it on the MLS and was able to negotiate it down a little bit since the family had another place lined up to live.

How did you finance this deal?

Conventional financing through Republic Bank in Duluth.

How did you add value to the deal?

Mainly by licensing it as a college rental and renting it by the bedroom instead of as a single family rental. Once I was able to get it rented by the bedroom, my rents went from $1245/month to $1600/month.

What was the outcome?

I acquired a solid, cashflowing property at a good price in a promising location.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Leasing a property in Duluth in January is not ideal. The property management company I worked with at the time charged me a bunch of money to get it "rent ready" even though the property really needed no work. This taught me to communicate expectations up front and not sit back and let things surprise you.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

I worked with Jordan DeCaro as my agent, Kathryn Gunderson and Jason Crawford were my lenders from Republic Bank, and John Woodrich is my CPA. All were very helpful.

[Brad Larsen]

Recommend Heirloom Management in Duluth.