All Forum Posts by: Andrew Ginsburg

@Jonathan Makovsky we have a 100,000 sq ft warehouse in Manchester, CT that we added on to 5 years ago. The transitional rubber roof between the old and new warehouse was done by Dzen Roofing and the rest of the warehouse is a metal seam roof which was done by steel workers for Antonulli (our GC on the project). So I guess my recommendation would be Dzen. We have only dealt with them once which was during the original construction. That is a good thing because we have not had to all them back for any issues.  

Hope this helps!

During the latest and greatest podcast featuring Jay Papasan, Jay brought up an interesting point made by Trump that he learned nothing when the markets were good and everything in down markets (I'm sure I butchered the quote, but I was driving and wasn't able to write it down!). As a newbie, I am finding great information here and really enjoy the success stories that are shared. Obviously I don't like to focus on the negatives, however sometimes we can learn just as much if not more from the mistakes we make. 

What was the best lesson you have learned from a mistake in your REI career, or when a deal didn't turn out as planned?

I apologize if this is an unoriginal thread and has been discussed before!

Thanks @Jonathan Makovsky ! I am looking forward to being art of the community and really enjoy your posts and your podcast!

I literally just read your forum post @Michael Noto on the 4plex you rehabbed in Central CT. Great stuff and really insightful. I will definitely like to reach out to you at some point to pick your brain. Thanks for the offer and introduction.

Thanks @Chaz Reid !

Thanks @Robert Skulka   I am hoping to make enough money from REI to check help skiing in AK off my bucket list! Will definitely connect.

Thanks for the reference links @Dmitriy Fomichenko  they will certainly come in handy.

Hey BP Community,

I just wanted to formally introduce myself to the community here. I have been following the site for a couple weeks now and have already gained a huge amount of knowledge. I could have never imagined an online community with so much passion for educating and motivating their peers! From the podcasts and webinars to the blog and forum posts I have found a new vice in BP. I have read numerous books from Gallinelli to McElroy to Keller which are all great, but the live information provided on this site brings more color to those pages.

I am new to REI and have set a goal for myself to purchase my first investment this year. I will be looking to pursue a buy and hold strategy keyed on cash flow. I do haver a full time job and a full time family (A wife, a 4 year old and a 7 month old daughter as well as my 110lbs German Shephard Monty). We are in the Hartford, CT area.

I am here looking to learn and network to become an educated investor.

Thank you in advance for all the advice and knowledge!

Thank you all for your insights and valuable opinions. @Jeff G. I'm assuming that you are alluding to the financing side of the deal when you are talking commercial vs residential. Do  commercial loans tend to be more complicated than residential, especially for a first time investor? I have to assume that lenders will ant to see you partner up with someone who has more experience in the game. I have a couple names of lenders that I am going to call on shortly and begin to pick their brains. BTW its great to hear from a neighbor as I work in Manchester!

@Douglass Belt you bring up a great point of view and something I really need to do is sit down and solidify in my business plan. I do have an idea of how I want my portfolio to look in the future. Buy & hold for stable cash flow is my goal starting out. Especially investing in my current market where appreciation seems to be nonexistent (maybe @Jeff G. can give some insight on this). But these are great questions I have to look at. 

@Dustin Smith & @Michael Hicks - Thank you for giving me your opinions on going the route of a larger property to start. I do want to start my investing career the right/smart way and this is why I was torn. Is efficiency the right way to begin, or start on a smaller scale and work my way up. Of course I am not looking at 100+ unit projects, but 10-20 unit properties seem to allow me a more efficient way of building a larger portfolio. I am in a similar position @Michael Hicks where I will be working a full time job and probably won't have time to self manage multiple properties, but that all has to go back to building a plan as @Douglass Belt suggested.

Again, thank you all for your insights and I will have to continue to analyze the market to find the right deal to begin with.

Kyle, Thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts. That is basically what my gut told me and makes perfect sense. I have heard some say every now and again that you have the same issues wether it's a small or larger property. Therefore I wasn't sure if it was also beneficial to find a larger deal and try and build in the 10%ish contingency for a management company or get my hands dirty on a smaller property and learn the guts of it. ...and all I know is that hemorrhaging money is certainly not a good thing! HA!

Hello BiggerPockets community,

As a newbie, I have been playing spectator for a few weeks while soaking in all of the knowledge and experiences shared on the site. I've had three years of experience in Real Estate Sales on both the high end residential and commercial side leading into 2008 when I got married and began working in the beer business.

Anyway, I wanted to ask the experts here what the advantages are of starting my REI career with a smaller multi vs a large multi? Access to funds is not the issue for me as I have substantial equity in my home, built up my 401(k) and have access to private money. Is there really a much bigger demand with a few more units? Are mistakes more costly? Is it a mistake to get my feet wet with a larger property?

I apologize if this topic was already covered in a previous thread, but I would appreciate any feedback from the community. Also, I am sure that I am missing some information that will be necessary for some answers, so please let me know.

Thank you in advance for your feedback!