All Forum Posts by: Brian Kelch

@Chris Erato

I am also new to investing and have been looking into student housing in York and Shippensburg. Harrisburg prices are really cheap, but most seem to be in high crime areas, so I have been scared to pull the trigger on them. I haven't really looked into Carlisle, but I think it would be a good potential area.

@Greg M. A fine based on what grounds? Again, an ESA is a pet, not a service dog. He is not denying the pet, he is just looking to get his pet fee. He can charge his pet fee up until the point the dog is a fully trained service dog.

I believe it is important to distinguish the difference between an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and a Service Dog. @Tim Ellis has stated the difference several times, but it seems some people in this thread are still grouping them together. A service dog is NOT an ESA and an ESA is NOT a service dog. These are 2 distinct classifications and are treated differently in the eyes of the law. I believe Tim has done his research and is in the right. Even if his tenant gets a quack Dr to give his dog an ESA certificate, it is still just a pet and Tim can charge the tenant his pet fee.

Be careful about digging too deep in what the Service Dog does. You are only allowed 2 questions and the owner does not need to show documentation. I'm also fairly confident you are not allowed to ask the dog to perform its task. Go to this LINK to read a Blog that has it very well spelled out.

What are the options for no and low up front money for new construction? This includes land purchase and all the way to closing. This would not be for me, but a house I would sell for (hopefully) profit.

Let me see if I can put my thoughts into words. I'm trying to calculate closing costs and get accurate numbers to find those "great deals", but i don't want to calculate some things twice. Doing my research, I've noticed that things like 1st quarter taxes and 1st year insurance are generally included in closing costs, as well as, inspections, appraisals, origination fees, etc.. So my question is, does the BP calculator take any of these into account when analyzing the deal? I know I can enter a closing cost, but if I add in  the first quarter taxes and the 1st year insurance, and then the BP calculator also does that somewhere in its algorithm, am I getting accurate numbers? What brought this on was that I'm looking at houses in the $100k-$150k range and closing costs seem to be anywhere between $3000-$8000, but watching the many podcasts and webinars, Brandon usually only put in like $2000. So is he lowering his CC for a reason? I'm on a tight budget, so a swing of $6000 in CC could really throw off my numbers greatly. 

Hey BP,

I found a beach property that I was thinking would be a great vacation rental property (Not AirBNB). Anyone on here do those with success? What kinds of problems do you run into that aren't "normal"? I'm aware of things like the summer months will have to carry me through the winter months. Just looking for some insight. Any idea what a rental company costs? is it like a property management company that takes a percent of the income? Thanks!

I haven't read all 6 pages of this post, so this may have already been addressed, but my biggest issue with solar is the environmental impact of disposal. My understanding is that solar panels only last about 10 years or so before they need to be replaced. Obviously technology is always improving. These panels are not biodegradable, so they are going to be dumped into our landfills along with all the other trash. Now I'm sure the trash collectors are going to charge extra to take away these "specialty" items. $$$. Perhaps there will be special solar panel only dump sites that all panels must go to? $$$. Once the market becomes flooded and solar panels become the norm, the tax credits will go away (Energy Star appliances anyone?), so your 10 or 20 year mandatory replacement will be full price. $$$. Batteries are only good for so long and will need replaced on a regular basis. $$$. Specialty disposal. $$$. Everyone talks about their electric bills being reduced, but there is a bigger picture that needs considered.

Hello Nathan,

I'm new to the investing game myself (fingers crossed for that fantastic first deal), but Frederick City/Frederick County is one of my areas of focus because I work there. I would LOVE to get into investing in the Urbana area, but their market is pretty high dollar for me to do on my own. I would certainly need a financial backer/partner. Urbana, Middletown and Brunswick are growing like crazy with new construction, so if you're into the appreciation game, their values "should" be going up.

I don't know much about Hagerstown other than what my colleagues tell me (it's not positive) and what is in the news (also not positive). I think @Russell Brazil assessment is pretty accurate.

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*This link comes directly from our calculators, based on information input by the member who posted.

12 Residential Units and 1 Commercial unit. I figured rent based on $1000 each residential unit and $4000 for the commercial unit. The $30,000 repair estimate is a CYA number and is most likely not super accurate. No idea what the taxes are. Zillow, Trulia and Realtor all gave me different numbers, so I used the highest estimate and rounded up to the nearest 1000. 

I know I'm missing something, but if not, who's ready to partner up?

@David Rosengaft Welcome! I'm just outside of Gettysburg and about an hour from Harrisburg. I think there is a lot of potential there.

Brian