All Forum Posts by: Alan Matthews

@Ethan Atkinson Definitely agree with this: "Not everyone needs to go to college, and would be well suited as a framer, HVAC, electrician, plumber, etc. And these kids at 18-20 could
be making $20/hr almost right away."  Had a buddy in high school who went to work doing construction right after graduating.  He's an independent contractor now with his own pool excavating company and makes really good money.

@Tracy R. I already got the heads up about the meetup at The Ivy.  I should be able to attend the meeting this month.

@Jay M. Woof.....I guess I shouldn't be too shocked. I've done some basic construction and auto mechanic work, re-wire houses and engine swaps, etc. so I know finding good workers is tough. When you can, they're usually expensive!

>boom times really suck to get anyone to actually do the work, or get materials delivered

As in they're swimming in work/booked out for weeks at a time, or just cherry picking the best jobs because they can?  Forgive the newbie questions, trying to wrap my head around how far out I would need book contractors and how long I would need to hold a property before any rehab work gets underway.

@Nicholas LaGatta Thanks for the info, even though it's not encouraging.  Is this a lack of GC's overall for the Atlanta area, or are contractors prioritizing commercial & multi family/apartment properties?  I assume tying up a whole crew for a small job isn't the way to go if you can work a mixed use commercial property instead.

I'm new to flipping houses and currently reading and learning as much as I can about real estate and flipping in general.  However, I would like to start some exploratory conversations with in terms of getting an idea of how much a rehab will cost for properties I've found via Trulia/Zillow.

The areas I'm looking at are around Southwest Atlanta - Cascade Heights, Venetian Hills, Beecher Hills, West End, Adair Park, etc.  Funding isn't an issue per say since I can explore hard money lenders, as well as some family of mine may be willing to play the role of private investor(s).

My questions:
• Are there any first time flip friendly GC's out there?  I suppose any GC would be open to first time flippers as long as they pay, but I'm hoping to find ones that can put with me asking questions!
• Would GC's be willing to do "mock" rehab bids/walkthroughs?  I'm not looking to waste anyone's time, but this would be super valuable to learn from.  I'd be more than willing to pay any normal fees as if I really had to house under contract to show how serious I am.

@Sara C. Thanks for the info on the meet up, I'll definitely try and make the next one. In terms of analyzing deals, are sites like Zillow and Trulia acceptable alternatives to the MLS in terms of running realistic numbers for calculating ARV?

@Craig Reed Agreed.  I wish someone had given me Rich Dad Poor Dad years ago.  

Hey everyone!  My name is Alan Matthews and I'm a software engineer at a SaaS company here in Atlanta, GA.  After reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, my entire perspective on finance and earning income changed dramatically.  I've been looking to get more involved in real estate and have been listening to the BP podcasts daily.  I've also bought a few of the BP produced books by J Scott and Brandon Turner and I'm hungry to learn more.  No properties yet, but wanting to fix that soon!

For now flipping houses excites me the most, but I'm open to other areas like rental properties or wholesaling.  Any thoughts on next steps?  Get my real estate agent's license?  Focus on looking at tons of deals?  Are there any meetups in the metro/ITP area that I should be going to?

Look forward to networking with everyone!