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All Forum Posts by: Alex Gunnerson

Alex Gunnerson has started 5 posts and replied 95 times.

Post: Looking for Wholesalers in Kansas City, MO (KCMO) & Jackson County

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

@Ray Dipasupil Daniel Kochanowicz is a go getter. I'll dm you his contact info.

Post: Need some help please

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

Hi @Eitan Dadda , welcome to the REI world!

1. How can I find a market to invest in?

This is going to depend largely on WHY you are investing. Coastal Cities tend to be better for appreciation but often require more $$$ money to get started. Other areas are better for cash-flow (Midwest - Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indy, Kansas City, Columbus etc) and require less $$$ to get started. Of course we all want both appreciation AND cashflow, and some cities will provide a little of both, but I'd pick which metric is most important to you and use that to help you make your decision.

Ok you've narrowed it down to cashflow or appreciation, now which city? Do your research, but there is no right answer, eventually you will have to pick a market and go with it.

2. How to search for a property? should I buy a house that's need a full rehab? or a partial rehab?

After you find your market, find a good investor friendly agent that can help you find your property. BiggerPockets is a great place to find agents who can help.

3. How can I check if the neighborhood is any good?

Lean on your agent here. They will be experts in whatever city you decide on and should be able to help you out. You can also just do some googling and read forum posts about your market, chances are somebody has created some type of guide that can at least give you a starting point for which areas to avoid.

4. If I live out of the state how can I find a good real estate agent? a reliable contractor?

BiggerPockets! Don't just reach out to one agent. Interview at least 3 and come ready with good questions. Picking the right agent will not only help you find your first property, but potentially your first 5, 10, 20 etc... If you are investing locally I would highly recommend attending meetups, there will be plenty of agents there that you can connect with.

You are asking great questions. Continue asking questions and learning. Just know that there will come a point where you will have to jump in before you feel completely ready, before every question is answered and that is ok. You will never have all the answers and you will learn 10x more by buying your first property. I hope this was helpful, and best of luck on your investing journey!

Post: 😍 Why I LOVE Investing in the Midwest

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

@AJ Smith couldn't have said it better myself. I really do think you are speaking to the WHY for 95% of people who are on Bigger Pockets, to achieve financial freedom. Cheers to financial freedom from a fellow Iowan (Carroll), nicely done sir!

Post: What to expect when planning to live in your first investment.

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

@Thomas Rodgers
It wouldn't hurt to do some work up front but I would get in front of an agent as soon as possible. I find a lot of investors define their crystal clear criteria something along the lines of:

B+/A property, $200 cashflow, 12% ROI, turn-key condition, and they have ~$20k to invest. If you can find that, great! However, an agent is going to have an understanding of whether or not properties like that even exist in your market. In most markets, this criteria would be unrealistic and an agent would be able to tell you that.


"About how much are C Class properties cash-flowing in x area? How about B class? What is the average purchase price of those properties? "

A good agent will be able to answer questions like these which will help you establish a realistic, achievable criteria to work with.

Post: What to expect when planning to live in your first investment.

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

You want to jump in as fast as you can and avoid buying a property that isn't hemorrhaging money.  The value of buying your first property lies in the insane amount of knowledge you will learn, any cash-flow and appreciation is a bonus. Yes, ideally your first deal will cash-flow but if it doesn't it isn't the end of the world. 

"I am not sure if it is realistic to expect any cash flow at all unless I can buy at a big enough discount."

Is there a good reason you can't buy at a discount? Yes it takes more work to find these properties, but buying properties at the right price is a massive part of real estate investing and is something you should strive for.

"I am starting to think that it would make more sense to just save up the 20%"

Saving the 20% isn't a bad idea, but personally, I knew that saving the 20% would just keep me on the sidelines longer. I put 5% down on my first property in KC and it is cash-flowing almost $500/mo. This emphasis my point about why buying at the right price is so important.

@Thomas Rodgers

@Thomas Rodgers you are asking great questions, and it sounds like you are on the right path. If you haven't already, I would find an investor friendly real estate agent in your area that can help you out. 

Post: Anyone buying in Missouri

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

@Joe Mathew I invest in Kansas City and help others invest in here as well. Cashflow is what brings a lot of people into the area, but there is a lot in the pipeline in terms of development and events (World Cup, NFL Draft etc).  More on this here https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

If you want to dig deeper in the area, I'm happy to help.

Post: Suggest realtors in kansas city MO

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

Hi Muhammad, I'm an investor and an agent who works primarily with other real estate investors, I would be happy to help!

Quote from @Bjorn Ahlblad:

@Aruna Abdool  When we lived in California we invested there and later in Washington state. We had never lived there but we had visited. We came to know realtors on line, we researched properties ourselves and had the realtor drive us to the dozen properties we selected. She referred us to a PM whom we vetted. We did not need lenders as we were paying cash from prior sales of rental properties, it was a 1031x. We made three trips to close on the properties.

Never trust what you are told. Always check it out for yourself! If your investment fails, you lose that is on you and no one else. Always verify. IMO anyway.


  "If your investment fails, you lose that is on you and no one else. Always verify. IMO anyway."  First of all, I LOVE the extreme ownership here. So many people find a way to point the finger in this situation. If accept responsibility for our actions, we will learn from our mistakes and will have the power to improve next time.

With that being said, I hate that is it this way. Unfortunately, no matter the line of business, there will always be bad eggs. Trying to find the right realtor/lender/pm is not easy.  

Post: I feel ready for real estate but not sure where to start. HELP

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

Hi Jack,

There is plenty of opportunity in Kansas City. You can find cash flowing properties all over the city or in the suburban areas, both single family and multi family. I have a couple friends that do only section 8 in KC and it has worked very well for them.


Here is a little more about KC and some of growth we are expecting to see in the next few years https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

Post: Assuming an fha loan

Alex GunnersonPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Posts 95
  • Votes 120

@Tanner Pettet yes this is possible, and can be an attractive marketing strategy for your property given the lower interest rate.