All Forum Posts by: Alecia Loveless

@Blake R. I like multi family because it should generate cash flow as well as appreciation.

If I were you I’d pick a market and become an expert on it. And I don’t mean something like saying you want to invest in New York City, I mean an expert on specific neighborhoods you have chosen for a specific reason.

Then you can focus on analyzing a bunch of deals in your specific neighborhoods and start to learn what makes a good deal and what deals you don’t want to do.

Once you do this you will start to see the correlation between different aspects of a deal.

For instance today I analyzed a prospective deal that is a 3 unit. I know what the rents should be for each of the units (2 vacant and 1 significantly under market), the taxes are listed on the MLS, I'm familiar with the water/sewer costs in close proximity to this building, and I know what percentage to use for my Vacancy, CapEx, and repairs and maintenance based on my knowledge of the local market.

It took less than 5 minutes to enter this data into the BP Rental Calculator and see that the potential was outstanding.

If I hadn’t been an expert in this market there would have been many variables I would have had to estimate which is a rookie mistake. Or I would have had to pester my agent for more information which takes time and that’s how you lose deals.

@Xavien Rafael I use one account per building. It keeps each set of books separated and allows for quick analysis of each building.

I am the only real estate investor with my bookkeeper and at first she thought this was a little overboard but once she started setting rules in Quickbooks to simplify her work she quickly realized how simple this method makes things.

In my Chart of Accounts we list each account separately and then each one is easily listed on my P&L.

Certain expenses are all lumped together for the sake of the P&L like insurance and taxes and others like repairs and maintenance can be viewed collectively or by individual property.

@Feroz Penangwala I’ve slowed some due to financial constraints. I closed on less units in 2024 than I did in 2023 but I put in a solid offer on a new deal this evening.

I am currently only looking for deals that make a lot of sense and the one today offers 2X the cash flow per unit than is my average on my other units.

@Brittany Farrell You may just have to proceed with your lawyer and see what happens.

Sometimes lawyers such as your former partner has representation with like to pursue things just to make a point for whatever reason.

Keep your chin up and try to limit contact with your lawyer to dealing with actual issues with opposing counsel. Some attorneys charge for every communication and any contact with your attorney that is not case related may rack up fees to you.

At this point all communication should likely be going through the attorneys which should help you to be feeling less intimidated.

Whereas the majority of the existing clients have stayed with you, but the whale client is with the ex-partner leads me to believe that if this heads to any type of judicial setting that no damages would be awarded. Especially if your profits are less than the Ex can prove she received.

I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.

@Steven Catudal in my opinion that’s cheap money. In my market if the property went up by $365K the taxes would have increased by about $8,000.

Markets have increased considerably over the past 4 years and most of my buildings have also increased in value by about $300,000.

Your town may have just undergone a comprehensive reevaluation which adjusts the property values of the whole town. Some places do this annually, some places do a portion of the town every year giving them a total cycle of about every 4 years, and in my area it’s common to do a whole town reevaluation every 4-5 years.

Usually if it’s a revaluation where the whole town goes up in value you see the tax rate decrease and taxes stay the same or go up a little like yours did.

@Tanner King If you haven’t already sign up for BPPro membership so you can use their deal analyzing calculators unlimited number of times.

Then spend a LOT of time analyzing deals from the MLS in your preferred location. Like 2-3 a day for the next 60 days.

This is the best way to get good at analyzing deals and will allow you to quickly have a good idea about how a deal will work.

On top of this if at all possible I’d recommend choosing specific neighborhoods to become an expert on as opposed to just thinking “anywhere in the San Antonio market could work”.

I often make the mistake of thinking the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence when going through the forums. Meaning other investors make their market look greener than mine. But then I remember I am an expert in my market and know which areas are better suited to my target goals. Only extended exposure to your preferred market allows you to have this clarity and understanding about a property’s long term potential.

@Kody Smith New Hampshire was just named into the Top 10 Hot Markets for 2025. Specifically the Manchester, Concord, Nashua areas which are right over the border of Massachusetts. I believe the appreciation has been great over the past couple of years and prices are lower than in major areas like Miami metroplex or Charlotte.

I don’t necessarily see 10-20 unit properties listed here but a lot of inventory for 2-6 units if you are open to smaller numbers. I do see listings come on frequently and think there’s a steady inventory.

There might be larger buildings available but I don't follow that market too much through the MLS, only some NH Landlord Facebook groups which are both owner friendly and agent friendly.

@Sebastian Albors House hacking with live-in renters definitely started to lose its appeal to me as I got older.

However for those that are still younger it’s a great option.

I’d be very surprised if there’s not more small multis in the suburbs in your area.

It’s a great way to get started.

@Miguel Del Mazo I “gift” my residents a small discount on their January rent. This way it’s no up front out of pocket expense for me and they then have the extra money to spend as they need it.

I’ve gone back and forth on doing grocery cards, gas cards, or restaurant cards and feel the discount just works better for me.

I can’t say I came up with the idea, I saw a landlord with more units than I have post that they offered the holiday discount, bug only to their tenants who had made all their rent payments on time and in full over the course of the year.

@Allende Hernandez I credit back the amount for the screening on my first month’s rent. I only screen those 18+ so usually it’s only 2-3 people.

The credit back helps set me apart from other landlords in the area.

Typically the first set of tenants I screen are the ones who end up in the unit due to prescreening activities like my application and making sure I meet them.