All Forum Posts by: Amy Hanlon

@Parker Eberhard and @David Robertson thank you for your suggestions. I think Homestyler is going to work great! I've used sketchup before, but it's not my favorite program.  Thank you again for your suggestions.

The kitchen in our newly purchased rental needs a new layout. Has anyone found a good drafting software to use for a project like this? Free is always good as this is our first investment property and the budget on this project is tight.

We are about 20 days from closing on our first investment property, yay! And while I've been fairly proactive thus far on getting multiple quotes for work, I'm curious, what is the best order to get work done? Do you have a tried and true schedule? I'm a type-A and like to have a plan going into a project. Looking for any insight the experienced investors have.

Thanks for everyone's input. We decided not to move forward with this deal. :)

First off, I'm a complete newbie here. My husband and I have been discussing getting into real estate. Ideally, with rental property. We would prefer to pay off our mortgage first (4-5 years) which is our only debt. However, there is a deal that I think maybe too good to pass up. I'd really like to get some opinions.

Home for sale is a duplex, for sale by owner for a very low price. The home (both sides) were gutted with electric, plumbing, windows, installation, drywall and kitchen remodels in 2009-2011. Part of the roofing needs to be replaced though. The current tenants would like to stay.

This property would bring in low income tenants and the overall take home would be small. I, personally, feel like this would be a good starter property for us to see if this is something we truly want to pursue. My husband would like to purchase mid- to high-end property where tenants are more likely to take care of the property. 

What are the good, bad and ugly outcomes of this situation? What red flags do we need to look out for? What questions should we ask the owner?