All Forum Posts by: Adam Bontrager

@John Ashworth

Welcome to BP!  Great to see others from the Cleveland area.  It definitely sounds like you're on the right track.  

Best of luck!

I'm grinning as I read your post because it's clear to me that you've got "the real estate itch".  Congrats, joining BP is a great first step!

Have you considered investing in turnkey properties?  It sounds to me like you've got plenty on your plate and could benefit from this strategy.  Buying from a turnkey provider that also provides property management is one of the quickest ways to take action and also requires little continuing effort on your part.  Obviously, you'll need to do your research before working with any real estate company.

I work and invest in the Cleveland market myself.  The price points are considerably lower than some of the more inflated markets but the rental demand is high and returns are great.  You might consider looking into this or similar markets.  

Feel free to contact me with any questions.  I'm more than happy to help!

Onward and upward!

@Richard Nix M. Caasi

Ohio has a very strong buy and hold market.  I work and invest in the Cleveland market - returns are strong and the city's economy continues to grow.  

However, if you like where you're at, it's completely possible to purchase out of state turnkey investment properties. The key with investing out of state is to find and build relationships with turnkey providers and property managers (and it's best if you can find a company that does both well). Property management, in particular, can make or break your investment. A good property manager will keep your property up to date and attractive to tenants and will make sure that the property is leased quickly when a tenant moves out. Their goal should be to maximize your ROI.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.  I'm more than happy to be of assistance.

Onward and upward!

Congrats on joining BiggerPockets!  You can learn just as much and more here as you can learn from the "gurus".  

What strategies are you currently looking into (i.e. long term buy and hold, flipping, wholesaling, etc)?  I personally work and invest in the Cleveland market.  The price points are lower than many areas around the country and the properties cash flow great.  Turnkey is a great option for out of state investors in the market for long term, buy and hold properties.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.  I'm more than happy to help!

Best of luck to you!

Welcome to BP!  You will find the resources offered here to be incredibly helpful as you're starting to invest.  Browse the forums regularly.  There is a ton of really smart people on here doing awesome things.

If you're looking for buy and hold, cash flowing investments, you may need to expand your search beyond the Bay Area market.  I work with a number of investors from CA who have decided to invest in the Midwest where I work and invest because the price points are much lower and getting your hands on a cash flowing investment property is much easier here.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.  Best of luck to you!

Onward and upward!

@Guech Dougherty

Welcome to BP!  

As a few people have mentioned, flipping is a more active form of investing and theoretically nets you a chunk of cash fairly quickly (if all goes as planned).  

Buy and hold is the long-term, wealth-building approach to real estate investing and is my personal preference.  When you buy and hold a property, you're looking for long term cash flow and possibly appreciation.  While flipping requires you to continue working in order to maintain your income, with buy and hold, you can build passive income that will continue after you finish building your portfolio.

Buy and hold is a bit harder to do in your market due to the higher price points but there are plenty of companies in the midwest area who work with out of state investors to help them get into these lower cost areas.  

Feel free to contact me with any questions.  I'm happy to help.

Welcome to BP! You're on the right track if you're looking to learn more about REI.

I see you're on the west coast.  Do you plan to invest locally or have you considered looking into some lower cost markets?  The midwest is a great place to invest if you're local market is high.  I'd encourage you to check out some turnkey companies that help you navigate the process from start to finish.  

If you're interested, I work with a turnkey company in the Cleveland area.  I'd love to help in any way I can.  Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Onward and upward!

Jason, welcome to BP!  First, I want to thank you for your service to your country.  I don't think we can ever say that enough.

Are you just looking at the Indiana market right now or are you interested in expanding further?  The Cleveland area is another great market for rental investments.  There's a lot of opportunity here for investors looking to invest with minimal hassle and headache.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.  Best of luck!

@Justin Frye

Buying turnkey is a great option for investors who want passive income without the headache of renovations, placing tenants, etc.  The best turnkey companies will not only provide you with a property that has a tenant and cash flows from day 1 but they will have property management in place so there's no burden on you to find a property manager for your property.

You'll definitely want to do your research on the turnkey company - having a quality team is essential to your success.  Once you've nailed down a turnkey provider, though, your time and effort requirements going forward should be minimal.

Kyle, 

Welcome to BP!  Congrats on joining the real estate space.  

I encourage you to check out this guide to successful turnkey investing: A Simple Guide to Buying Out of State Turnkey.  

Successfully buying outside of your local market comes down to having a good team that can handle any issues that come up.  The most important decision you make when investing out of state is choosing who you will work with.

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions.  I'm happy to help.