All Forum Posts by: Benjamin Seibert

Hey @James Walker welcome to BiggerPockets. The New Braunfels area is a nice area (I visited family last year and loved Gruene). Good luck with your investing journey!

Hey @Steve Hensley, I am from the Hagerstown area (Williamsport specifically) and have one rental in the area. I am currently house hacking in Parkville, MD (near Baltimore) and am having some solid success. Let me know if you have any questions or would want to meet up!

@Bill McCann thank you. No, I am having a contractor do most of the renovations. The rehab is almost finished (estimated to be finished in two weeks). I will make a post with the before and after pictures when everything is done. 

Hagerstown is a solid area to invest. Very similar to both all three of the areas you mentioned in prices and rents (with Chambersburg being slightly less in prices). 

Your correct, for the most part condos are similar to SFH. The big things to keep in mind are the HOA's. Before purchasing a property you should read the HOA's charter and what they allow and don't allow (some don't allow renters, some don't allow certain rehab items, etc...). This can largely affect the viability of being an investment property. It is also good to ask the HOA how they handle big ticket items (roof, etc...) sometimes they will charge an additional amount for replacing these.

Maintenance will generally be less since you don't have to worry about the exterior (usually) and any landscaping. Just make sure you do your homework on the HOA first. Each one is different and some are really strict.

Good luck!

Congrats on your deal @Ryan Norman! Always great seeing people succeed!

Chris, you can always start out with the common questions like: what investments do you own, any interesting projects you've completed recently, what investments are you working on right now and what is your investing model (flipper, wholesaler, etc...). Remember, people like to talk about themselves so more questions to them is good, plus you'll learn more. Make sure you grab their contact information for following up (via email, phone, etc...). Good luck!

@CJ Witmer it's going well. One half of the duplex is being rented and the other just got new furnace parts and it still being renovated (currently working on the flooring).

Hey Richard, I've used Tri-State Signature Settlements on two properties. Lesa is extremely knowledgeable and has always done a great job for me. They are located in Hagerstown but will close deals almost anywhere in the surrounding area.

@CJ Witmer I definitely will. I closed on the property at the beginning of October and am rehabbing it now. I know the winter isn't the best time to turn around a property and rent it out but will push to find some good tenants.

@Marcus Auerbach Yes, I was surprised to find two. However, I think one of the lenders was willing to lend to me based on the fact that I told them another bank (and one of their close competitors) was willing to lend on it. The second bank's offer wasn't nearly as good (they offered 50% LTV with a higher rate) but I was happy enough to find a lender and tried to use the other banks offer to motivate the bank I was working with.

Thank you very much! I definitely wasn't sure that I would end up getting the first deal done. It was stressful at a few points while I had to quickly problem solve, but it has worked out so far!