All Forum Posts by: Allison F.

@Kevin Byrne, I agree. I wasn't under the impression that I needed to bring along bank statements since I've repeatedly said, "I have my budget in cash, ready to buy." I still have yet to receive a MLS list of homes available in my price range.

Is it unreasonable to ask for same day access on vacant homes?  We've missed out on a few properties because we didn't move fast enough.

I am currently looking for my first buy and hold investment property, though so far I've only toured three properties. When my husband and I decided to buy an asset, I got in touch with the real estate agents who acted as our buyers agent over five years ago in the purchase of our current residence. My first contact with him was about a particular property, and he basically dismissed it because he said I'd need to pay cash. I told him I had cash and access to private money, so we set up an appointment to view the property. It went under contract the afternoon we were set to see it. There were two HUD houses that I asked about, and he met me to show me. He has investment property and has worked with other investors, but I seem to know through my Zillow searches/GIS reviews than he does. When I ask about comps for sale or rental, he just says he doesn't know those neighborhoods particularly well (one is adjacent to where he lives). I've told him two weeks ago to send along anything he thinks has potential, and other than his generic foreclosure list (that he mass sends), he hasn't sent a single property for my review. I came across another listing that was within my price range in a decent area, and went to drive by before reaching out to him, and I see it's HIS LISTING. I text him to ask about seeing it yesterday morning, and he said the owner needed 24 hour notice, which I said I understand so let me know what works. 36 hours later, and no word. I am a younger female (though he's around my age), so I'm not sure if he just isn't taking me seriously, or if he's taking most of the deals he sees or referring to other investors. I do feel a sense of loyalty to him because he showed us over 20 properties and was a great agent when we bought our primary residence, though our budget for it was about 3x our investment property. He's shown me two properties (that I've researched and requested, but ended up with deal breaking issues- SHFA and asbestos/mold/foundation issues), but I've not signed any agreements with him. Do I have an obligation to buy with him? Should I cut him loose? And if so, do I need to do that formally or just start looking for someone else? It doesn't appear that he'd mind losing my business...

thanks for the feedback @Becky Spivey and @Greg W.

I also like the super subtle Biblical "salt" reference. 

Per your tool, Greg, Saltbox wins, though I would still love some more opinions. 

Hi there, I'm a new real estate investor in Virginia and while I have my "team" in place and cash in hand for my first deal, I really want to get the organizational side of business in line. May be premature, but I like to have my ducks in a row. I have a full time job in sales and marketing, so I know how much a brand can mean. While I'm still debating DBA vs LLC, I am also debating names. We've narrowed it to two. We are targeting neighborhoods with a lot of young professionals and young families that value community, outdoors, etc., (and that fits who I am, too), so we want a name that can become synonymous with clean, comfortable, fresh and authentic housing. (The neighborhoods are older but hip.). When someone sees one of our signs up, I want them to know what to expect inside and be eager to rent from us. So, here are the two options: Saltbox The town that I am in has the nickname of Big Lick because of its salt resources, so it has some significance locally, and a Saltbox is also a style of house. CraftedHouse Within the last six months, two major craft breweries have signed contacts to build their east coast breweries in our area and are strongly focused on community, so I think the term "crafted" can convey a lot of the qualities we want to provide. I've checked and both names are distinguishable, and there are acceptable web domains for both. Let me know which you like better! Petty, but I would value the feedback. Thanks in advance!

What kind of financing did you utilize?