All Forum Posts by: Brandon Robertson

It's in Alabama.

I'm also thinking about maybe using the front space as a sort of climate controlled storage for pianos. I get calls to my piano business sometimes for that and I bet I could fill it up with some marketing. Would be nice if the storage space could pay the mortgage rather than trying to have a tenant in there.

@Greg Dickerson Thanks for the reply. I'll start talking to banks on Monday. After looking around a bit I'm very interested in the 504 loan. 

The place needs some repairs and modernization before I can set it up to lease. There are a lot of reasons why this particular deal is a good move for my business though, so if the financing is there and an inspection doesn't reveal things I just can't afford to repair I think this is going to work.

I can get long-winded when typing. The most important part is in bold. 

I'm seriously thinking about buying a small commercial property with a workshop/loading dock in the back. The shop space is a great fit for my piano service business. The location is great for me from the perspectives of commuting and being able to check on it. It's located in a place that's a fit for a small, local business with growth expected a few years down the road.

My plan: buy it, treat the shop in the back as a separate office unit/workshop for my business, and get the front portion fixed up a bit (probably need to do some sound-proofing between the back and the front) and lease the space to another business to cover some or maybe even all of my expenses on the property. I've even considered whether I can create a separate business in the front that can run without me always there, but that's another post for another forum I suppose.

I have a million questions so I don't know where to start. I guess I'm just looking for advice/things to look out for. 

This would be my first property purchase other than my own home, and though I had planned on getting started in real estate investing through maybe land flipping or buy and hold SFH, this seems like a good way to combine a desire for some shop space with potential for a little extra income. The current owner is retiring. I don't know him well, but we are business friendly and he refers people to my business. I'm meeting with him this morning to talk about the property.

I have a couple of questions about tax deeds/liens in Alabama.

1 - How long does it usually take for the state to get a price to you after you submit an application on their website?

2 - What does it mean if a parcel's status is "Stale" and in what ways is it possible acquire it?

@Levi Klein that's some real inspiration to do what it takes to figure this real estate thing out

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong category...I'm completely new at this site and also new to real estate investing in general.

I've often wondered: There's so much property owned by coal companies. I've been thinking surely after years of mining the coal mining becomes no longer profitable and they need to sell the land. Maybe it could become good recreation land with a little work. When do coal mining companies sell their property and how do they sell it? And is it usually a decent price? Other questions I should be asking?

Thanks for the welcome y'all! I'm excited about getting started and overwhelmed by all of the information available on this site. Trying to just keep at it some each day as I try to get a plan together.

Hello everyone,

I'm a self-employed piano technician (previously musician, theatre production manager, and sound designer/composer) who waited until pretty late to get serious about what my finances are going to look like as I get older. Now at 41 with a five year old it feels much more important to do whatever it takes to get the future on the right track. I'm tired of talking about doing something. I'm ready to learn what I need to in order to actually make an investment.

I'm pretty new to real estate. I'm living in my second home (now I wish I had kept the first and rented it out). Growing up I helped my dad by holding the tape measure as he worked on an appraisal or sweeping floors as he built a couple of small subdivisions. He didn't really pass much workable knowledge to me though, so what real estate knowledge I have is whatever I got through osmosis working with dad and through buying and selling my own homes.

Now I'm basically binge-listening to the podcast from the beginning and keeping my eyes open as I drive around. Not sure yet what I ultimately want to do, but I am leaning toward improving undeveloped land and then selling it. Buy-and--hold/rent homes is also somewhat appealing though I'm not sure how I feel yet about being a landlord. New construction would be a possible long-term pursuit but it's pretty intimidating right now.

I look forward to meeting everyone and learning/sharing knowledge along the way.

Brandon Robertson