All Forum Posts by: Antonio Cucciniello

@Brendan Anderson Ultimately what you accept in terms of cash flow would be up to you. If you were ok with living there and paying a couple of hundred dollars a month, that might be better than paying $1000 in rent every month or paying an entire mortgage yourself.

Ideally you would always go for as much cash flow as you can, but sometimes starting with a house hack, really produces cash flow for you by helping you save more money every month. Make sense?

@Greg Ranjitsingh Welcome, I think you are making the right moves coming into real estate to take the money from soccer and have it work for you.

What has been your biggest struggle when it comes to starting?

@Jamie Lutch In the end this comes down to your preference and standards. Personally, I would not buy something just for appreciation and no cash flow, but I know people that do it and are successful. I just think you are making a much riskier move when you do that. Because if you count on equity in a down turn, then you are not in a good position. 

In my opinion (for whatever that is worth) investing is part protection of a downside and a potential upside. Cash flow provides both.

@Tracy Opoku You can see it on my profile if you would like! 3 small multis 7 units!

Yes, right now its so hard to find something good on the MLS. Everything goes over asking for me.

@Jim K. Yes. The paycheck is one of the most addicting things in the world. Lack of it makes you fearful. I want to quit my job and take the leap into REI full time after doing this for a little bit. The thought in my head constantly is: "What if I don't make as much as cushiony job provides?"

@Tracy Opoku for me I struggled with taking the leap, I was too scared to lose money. My biggest thing is to make sure you over estimate the costs and under estimate the income. This way you build in a safety net for your self!

One mindset that really helped me was that there is no perfect location. I was always constantly looking for the best property that appreciated and had tons of cash flow. It does not exist. Once I started optimizing for one outcome (cash flow) I was able to accept the fact that its not perfect but its still really good. And that's what you need to optimize for.

Also, I don't recommend to jump in and learn from your mistakes, because those mistakes can really be detrimental to your success. The last thing I wanted when starting out was losing money. I was so scared of making a mistake it paralyzed me for 4 years. It's challenging. Practice deal analysis every day. Keep double checking and triple checking your number with agents, investors. Until you feel confident enough.

In the end, you will not be able to have 1000% confidence, cause things can still go wrong, but if your numbers are conservative and you still got a good deal, then jump!

@Yonna Collier One thing that could help you overcome that "not sure if you should invest locally or out of state" feeling would be to compare San Diego to other towns across the nation with numbers. This way, the numbers decide for you!

@Chase Yokoyama I started with buy and hold.

I don't recommend you start with what other people start with, instead pick a strategy that allows you to achieve your goals as quickly as you possibly can. Every investor here will have their own preferences!