All Forum Posts by: Alex M.

In my rehabs and projects on my investment properties I have used Christina's Construction, LLC. She does absolutely excellent work, is very transparent with pricing and is trustworthy. I recommend her to all of the clients I work with as an agent as well.

If anyone is interested, reach out and I would be happy to share her information. 

Good luck!

Shane, 

We definitely played against eachother at some point. I played at Seminole High, Northwest little league and for every travel team in pinellas county at some point. Happy to see you are still playing overseas! Congrats man, I hope all is going well. 

It appears we have taken somewhat similar paths in life (minus overseas baseball). I am working in Finance also - but I also just completed my first house hack. I purchased a triplex in Madeira Beach and just completed my year of occupancy. You are ABSOLUTELY on the right path in pursuing a house hack to get started. 

My input on your questions above... I would say you may be better off waiting for a house hack that you can qualify for yourself. Keep saving money for down payment and renovations and get your own deal from the get-go. 

In terms of metrics I use to determine the quality of house hack investments... 

I analyze in two pieces: 1. During occupancy period 2. as a rental property after moving out. 

During the occupancy period I look at the savings of living there versus paying full rent elsewhere or paying a full mortgage for a SFH. Also I look at how much I can increase the rents in the other units in my first year. Also a major one for me is how much value can I add through renovations & improvements in year 1.

Part 2, analyzing as a rental property. Cash on cash return is #1 for me - and with a house hack, this number can be massive relative to a 20-25% down deal. Since we are young, location and appreciation potential is absolutely everything. The appreciation that can be generated by holding onto good properties here in Pinellas will be huge over our lifetimes. So while cash flow is important to get going, the appreciation potential is what really gets me excited about a deal. 

Congrats again on where you have gotten, and on deciding to house hack! Keep it up man I wish you the best of luck. 

Madigan, 

You have narrowed your search down to some excellent markets. I am an investor in St. Petersburg - I am also a lifelong resident of St. Petersburg. I am obviously biased and very pro - St. Pete ;) but I strongly believe St. Pete is one of the top areas to invest in the country. 

The population growth, job growth and wage growth in St. Pete have been tremendous and the city is experiencing a major boom in development near downtown. St. Pete actually led the entire country in rent growth in the first half of 2020 - even through Covid and massive increase in apartment supply (multiple 100+ unit A class apartment developments in the last year). 

As a single family rental investor, there is tremendous opportunity for you in St. Pete. All of the new development here is high end apartments and condos, so there is growing demand and decreasing supply in the mid-level rent and single family rental market. I strongly believe you'll experience strong appreciation and rent growth in the years to come in St. Pete. 

Beyond just real estate market factors - the lifestyle here is excellent and it is simply a wonderful place to live. And you can easily avoid flood insurance here as well. As a St. Pete resident and investor - I hope you choose St. Pete :) 

Good luck to you!

Hello everyone. 

I have a general contractor that I highly recommend. The company is called Christina's Construction. They did a bathroom gut remodel for me and did an amazing job. They are the most trustworthy contractor I have worked with. Super transparent on pricing. I chose and supplied many materials myself to reduce costs. They put out a great product and are wonderful people to work with. 

DM me for her info if you cannot find it online (BP wont let me post her phone number)

Good luck!

Alex

Welcome @Nathaniel Walker ! 

I am an investor and agent in the Tampa Bay area. Currently house-hacking a triplex in Madeira Beach. I have a background in finance as well and am very well-versed on the lending side of RE Investing. If you are looking for an investor-friendly agent to find you a property that meets your goals, or just a local RE connection, I would love to help! 

Alex 

@Luke R. Yes the plan is to ReFi once the value add and rent increased are all complete.

@Luke R.

Thank you! Yes I am renovating the units as leases expire. At the 1 year mark I’ll have increased rents 34% since purchase. Significant value add!

House hacking with an FHA loan is an unbelievable wealth generation tool for new investors.

Anastasia, 

Welcome! I am an investor and agent in the St. Petersburg area. My partner and I own rental properties in Madeira Beach and Treasure Island, Florida (duplexes and triplexes). The St. Pete, Clearwater, Tampa area offers some excellent investment opportunities and it is a strong, growing market. 

We can help you identify and analyze properties in the Tampa Bay area. We are lifelong residents and absolutely love it here. We may be biased but we certainly recommend the St. Pete area!

We would be happy to help you find excellent investment properties around Tampa Bay. 

Alex

Johnny, 

St. Pete is an excellent choice! 

I am an investor and agent here in St. Pete. I am a lifelong resident of the St. Pete area and have become very well-versed in our market, especially rental properties. If you are looking for an investor-friendly agent based in St. Pete, I would be happy to work with you to find some qualifying properties. 

Alex

Christian, 

Welcome to BP and welcome to real estate! It sounds like you are on the right path and certainly have the right goals in RE. 

I am a 25 year old newer investor myself. I am in year 1 of my first house-hack in Madeira Beach, Florida. It is a triplex half-a-mile from the beach. Very close to Tampa, where you are moving to. 

I am an agent and investor here in the St. Pete/Tampa Bay area. Very well versed in investment real estate, especially house-hacking. As I mentioned, I am house-hacking right now so I have developed a ton of knowledge that can definitely help you choose a great property to house hack. I also have a professional background in Finance so I am very knowledgeable about the financing side as well as deal analysis. 

If you are looking to find a great house-hack deal to kick off your real estate investing journey successfully, I would be happy to work with you!

Alex