All Forum Posts by: Amber Smith

@David Fox

congrats on finding something in Taft! My first rental property was a 4 plex in taft and it still produces an excellent cash flow.

As far as tenants in Taft, mine are all great. I have had 2 bad tenants that were decent for most of their lease, then turned difficult toward the last few months. Luckily I haven’t had to evict or repair major damage yet *knock on wood* lol

Taft is definitely my favorite spot to invest right now, but there are also great cash flowing properties in Bakersfield, you just have to know where to look and be willing to take some risk.

Where in taft is your duplex? 

@Lenny Figueroa I haven’t done a brrr, but I have flipped 2 houses & currently working on 2 more. The reason I never went with the brrr method was that I could never find something where the rent would justify the newly refinanced Home in order to produce enough cash flow. I prefer to just buy fix & flip, but I do have a few investor clients who have been successful with brrr. 

If you need a good handyman/Contractor send me a message. 

@Kyle Marek

Sorry I didn’t see your response earlier! 

As far as my thoughts...if the passion and interest is there in real estate, you can’t go wrong with getting your license, but it IS a lot of work to get clients and business. 

Part time isn’t a bad idea, I would recommend trying to find a bigger agent who is looking for a buyers agent. Basically you would work under someone who is so busy, they give you extra clients they have and you split your commission with them. This can give you some security knowing you will have some clients and money coming in while also giving you someone to work under and learn from while also trying to build your own client base. 

Good luck! 

@Rudy Avila, at 600k for a multi family unit (I’m assuming) you will have a lot of great options! 

You need to decide what youre focuses more on, cash flow or appreciation. Properties with higher cash flow do tend to be in lower end areas & don’t appreciate as much as say something in the Southwest, which would likely appreciate a lot over time, but not return much cash flow. 

I have 2 rentals that I manage myself, so For someone like you who wants to self manage, I would really look for properties that are in good/ newer condition. Even if it’s in a bad area, not having to call & coordinate repairmen & your tenants & cut 100-400$ checks every month is SO worth it. 

If you ever have any questions, I work with a lot of investors and can definitely help you find something. 

@Erin Schenk I am an investor and real estate agent in Bakersfield and have considered out of state as well, but for me, I prefer Bakersfield becuase I manage my properties myself which increases my cash flow and cuts down on vacancies and repair costs. 

Are you looking at buy and hold, single family, multi unit or fix and flip? Id be happy to answer any questions about the kern county area and where you can get the most for your money. There are still great deals if you know where to look!

Hi Jonathan, I’m in Bakersfield too & I can relate. I started buying properties in 2016 & now have 2 rentals & have flipped 2 homes. I just got my real estate license and am working with a broker now, but not because I wanted to save money on my deals; I did it because I’ve always wanted to be an agent & have always been interested in real estate.

Studying for & passing the test is not easy. It’s also expensive & once you get your license, you’ll almost certainly have to join the board of realtors, which gives you full access to the mls & costs about $1000 a year. 

I think you’d be just as well off continuing to save, buy properties 1 at a time & learn as much as you can about rentals, single family, multi units, etc. 

if you have any questions, you can message me anytime! 

Does anyone know of companies that do temporary window bars or fencing? I just closed escrow on my second flip and there was already a break in last night. The previous owners have these heavy duty security gates on the windows but the company providing them charged 700$ a month, but that includes an on call security guard (not monitoring). I can’t seem to find any similar services out there. we’re going to do a security system with cameras & alarms, but it’s in a dicey area so I don’t think that will deter vandalism all that much. 

Thanks for any info! 

@Jonathan Yip

That’s awesome! & I looked at it & I think it’s beautiful! It’s easy to pick apart tiny things, but for your location, I think you did great. The only drawback I see is that you’re so close to union, so doing comps, even going with a mile radius I think is too wide, because every block that goes farther away from union will have a significant price difference. If you ever need a good local realtor who knows the ins & outs of every area, the realtor I use is great & he has a lot of knowledge & experience  with flips. Good luck with the project! 

@Jonathan Yip

Hi! How long have you held the property? Because if you want an FHA buyer, which most of Bakersfield is, you have to hold the property for 90 days before fha buyers can get it.

I was in The exact same situation a few months ago. Flipped a house, looked great but in a crappy neighborhood. We got very little interest before our 90 days were up but as soon as we hit that date, we got a couple offers & sold over asksing. So depending on how long you’ve held it, it might be worth waiting a bit more if you’re not yet at 90 days.

Can you send me the info as well if these properties are still available.