All Forum Posts by: Alex S.

Feedback wanted! I've built this browser extension to help me to analyze properties quickly. Before I was opening each property on Redfin or Zillow, then navigating to various BiggerPockets tools (they are still great and the best!), Rentometer, Property Tax assessments, insurance estimation, mortgage calculator, etc. Even to check for the 1% rule I needed at least Rentometer and a few basic calculations. All I wanted to see when I open a property is a rent estimate, cashflow, CoC, and CapRate to understand if I want to look into that property further.

Now I can open any active on-market property on Redfin (for now it works just with Redfin) and instantly see the following:

- 1% rule
- CoC
- Cashflow
- CapRate
- Rent Estimate

There is also a mortgage calculator and a few more sliders to specify how much you want that property to be leveraged to base these REI metrics. I'm using it daily and instead of 3-5 properties can check dozens.

Do you think it's useful? Would you use it? 

I've built it primarily for myself but if you think it misses something, let me know!

Hi there,
I'm looking for a couple of trusted RE friendly contractors in Seattle, WA. 
The list of remodel needs for a duplex: remove carpets, install new laminate floors, indoor painting, bathroom remodel, kitchen remodel.

I was able to check 5 yo feeds here and hope our community had found some new awesome contractors to share.

Thanks!

 Thanks @Dave Skow for the great tips, I don't have ample cash, but enough to get the all-cash which based on what I hear a bad idea because by locking the majority of my capital I will be closed for better deals in the nearest future, thanks!

it is in Sunnyslope, yeah. Are you talking about SFR with 160k as a downpayment? Most of the SFR in Phoenix/Scottsdale are not cash-flowing well, did I get your advice correctly to get leverage and focus on appreciation and other benefits (amortization/tax benefits)?

I totally agree then using leverage is much better and I will get more benefits from that. But leverage is hard to keep the numbers. Maybe I'm too focused on the cash flow when I shouldn't. I was also thinking to recover it after a year or so with cashout refi when rates are more suitable to make sure the property is still cash-flowing). Thank you for your insights and help!

Historic appreciation is not strong but average, it's a townhouse, not an SFR. Thanks for your thoughts, they confirm my concerns.

That sounds interesting, let's chat in messages (I'll contact you soon), I want to know more and if it's more like passive investment, I'd rather go with that. 

 All good questions, yes, I have 3 in WA and it's close to impossible to find more at least I cannot. I have just purchased one in Phoenix and it seems to be much more doable here so I found just another one (similar to the one I recently got in Phoenix) and think if I need to do it. My initial thought was to wait and see how the first out-of-state property performs, but the deal (if it is a deal) can go away. 

I recently found an on-market move-in ready townhouse in Phoenix AZ which doesn't have a super high cashflow (my target is 8%+) but it's close to it:

- Cash to invest: 177k (175k purchase price + 2k closing costs)

- RTP: 0.89%

- CoC: 6.43%

- Rent: 1550 (LTR)

- Expenses: $604 (Taxes, Insurance, HOA, CapEx, Vacancy, Maintenance, and PM)

- Cashflow: $946

Mortgage rates would make it to be a non-deal, but with all-cash, it can be a deal. Also, with all cash, I want to come up with a lower offer of around 160k, which will hit my target of 8% CoC.

With that, I could freeze a lot of capital and same time lose equity build-up and some of the tax benefits while getting maximum and decent cash flow from the deal. My goal is not cash flow now but with higher rates I cannot properly leverage it I think... Should I take it? Or is it better just to keep everything in an index fund and wait/make another deal?

Thank you, guys, for the helpful insights! 

@Jaron Walling When I was investing in Washington (before it got crazy expensive) I was able to go and check neighborhoods myself, or at least had some level of familiarity with cities/neighborhoods. Now I try to invest out of state, and every day I'm looking into different states even cities within new states it takes a lot of time to get familiar with a city so I was looking for some visual help and existing maps to benefit from, at least with a quick overview. 

@Scott Mac startup idea to automate data collection and aggregation and put it out as an interactive map :) Thanks for sharing your approach.

@Evan Polaski I'm sure that once a property is selected for purchase there should be much more due diligence but at the research stage an error between B and C or A and B is fine with me. Now when I look at each new city, I cannot tell if it's F or B, and having even a rough map would help to cut on bad neighborhoods and warzones. Totally agree that the dynamics are always changing so I'm looking for dynamic maps, which are automatically updated based on schools, crime, walk scores, transit scores, desirability, etc.