Duplex in Norfolk VA

Duplex in Norfolk VA

Chris A.Pro Member
Investor · Suffolk, VA · Member since 2018 · 20 posts · 20 votes

Investment Info:

Small multi-family (2-4 units) buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $141,500
Cash invested: $500

Duplex, VA Loan

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

Wanted to use the VA loan to house hack, live in half and rent out the other half.

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

MLS listing. I used numbers that reflected renting out both units and using a property manager since I am still in the military. Seller had to come down to meet these terms but it worked out. Doing a 0% down VA loan made this a little more difficult/ tighter deal but I am glad that it worked out.

How did you finance this deal?

VA Loan

How did you add value to the deal?

In 2018, rehabbed the kitchen prior to moving in current tenant in unit 2

What was the outcome?

Great rental property that produces steady cashflow.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Had a tenant want to break the lease early to move away for a job shortly after purchase. I had him look for a suitable replacement, and I would release his financial obligation once the new tenant moved in. I had someone who was local (while I was on deployment) assist with vetting the new tenant and it worked out well. Having great people to assist, boots on the ground while you are out of area is really helpful.

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

Alex Winfield was my agent for this purchase, and I would highly recommend him.

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  • Real Estate Agent · Member since 2018 · 209 posts · 115 votes
    6y

    Congrats on your first Duplex Chris!!! How long did it take you (from starting to look at duplexes) to closing?

  • Chris A.Pro Member
    OP
    Investor · Suffolk, VA · Member since 2018 · 20 posts · 20 votes
    6y

    Hi Taylor, thank you.  

    Initially I was all over the place and looking single family properties that needed light rehab, properties with mother in-law units, multi family, pretty much everything residential.  It was still a good experience though since I was able to walk through a lot of properties and get a better understanding of what the neighborhoods around here were like.  I even hired a contractor to come do a walk through with me on another property (that I had under contract but didn't get).  That was well worth the money since he showed me some of the things to look for in the future so I can do better ballpark estimates on my own and speed up the process of putting a good offer in.  

    Once I got more focused on what I wanted and what the numbers needed to look like it only took a couple months. I ended up closing right before a yearlong deployment so that was a little bit of concern, but I had great people like Melanie helping to manage it so that made things go much smoother back home.  

  • Patti RobertsonBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Virginia Beach, VA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    Congrats!!!

  • Rental Property Investor · Clovis, NM · Member since 2018 · 118 posts · 55 votes
    6y

    Awesome! Mind sharing more financials? Rent, PITI, etc?

  • Rental Property Investor · Virginia Beach, VA · Member since 2016 · 22 posts · 33 votes
    6y

    Congratulations Chris! So glad you took advantage of the VA loan in this way, I've heard nothing but great things about Alex as well.

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