All Forum Posts by: Caleb Williams

Thank you appreciate that I've reached out via their website. 

I'm in need of a Photographer with STR experience but a bit outside of a metro area in McMinnville TN. I live in Nashville which is 1.5 hrs drive (also about 1 hr from Chattanooga) and we just purchased our 1st investment property in McMinnville and will be listing very soon. I'm willing to pay extra for travel and/or let the photographer spend the night at the house if that is desired.

While I'm here: I'd also love connect with any other STR host in the area if any are here. It's a small market currently but we're also aiming to list our primary in Nashville by the end of this year so would love to meet more folks in the STR world in Middle TN.

OK I know, I know, finding solid contractors of ANY kind is already difficult enough, but I'm looking for any leads on nearby builders of small unique home styles: A Frames, Simple Cabins, and other Tiny Homes generally speaking. 

For a little context we bought our first home in Nashville 11 years ago, and have been working hard to put some of our equity to work on a 2nd home east of town nearby many of the State Parks and spots we frequent as a family (about 1-1.5 hrs east of Nashville), plus list the property as an STR. Even with our AWESOME agent, as you can imagine, this search has been difficult given the current market conditions. While we won't give up, I am wanting to explore the option of purchasing land to build multiple glamp sites, small structures and eventually a small site built home (I know this can take TIME).

While the long term goal is building a small STR business to transcend reliance on my W2 income, in the short term I aim to learn as much as I can while building toward this goal. That being said, I would love to connect with those of you in the STR world in the area and open to getting involved in areas of need where I could provide value as I learn.

Thanks all, very helpful info to give me an idea of what I'd be looking at. 

Hope this is relevant to the forum and please tell me if it's not: Curious if anyone is working as an Appraiser in addition to investing in real estate or other career? 

I'm a new investor with a 2 year goal of replacing half of my W2 income with cashflow from my properties. Meanwhile, I would love to build bridges to other careers to transition out of my current W2 (only after I grab my 1st property I've been pre-approved for based on that W2). I realize that on the surface the most practical solution is sticking out my W2, but I'm finding it has been very limiting in terms of the dulling mindset I'm surrounded by (yet I can't listen to podcasts, read, take phone calls, etc), the pay is only average, and love learning new things and have been with this company for a collective 13 years since shortly after college. I'm ready to mix things up. 

I would love any opinions on how being an Appraiser mixes with other jobs and works/doesn't as a side-gig. From the little I know, it seems to lean heavier towards a full time role, especially in the trainee period which would be 2 years in the wonderful state of TN, which from what I could tell would be under my current pay. For these reasons, I'm thinking it may hinder my overall goals, but don't want to completely rule out the possibility if folks out there have found success.

As far as why I'm drawn to the career: flexible schedule, weird love for numbers, driving for dollars between jobs, general REI adjacency, daily variety of location, outdoor/indoor, relatively active (on my feet), potential for solid income after certification (especially on the commercial side).

Thanks! 

Hello all, I am located in Nashville and currently searching for my first investment property (although buying a primary family residence here 11 years ago has turned out to be quite the accidental investment!). Despite the Nashville growth, my goal is a Short Term Rental 1-2 hrs east of town essentially between Nashville and Chattanooga (Sparta, Spencer, McMinnville, Smithville, Woodbury). My top focus is cash flow, a getaway for my family, with appreciation in mind as well. 

I would love to connect with others investing in these areas, or those with more secluded STR far outside a metro focused on a home-base for State Parks, and other outdoor attractions and/or general quiet getaway. What works? What doesn't? Currently finding someone as a member of my team in the area to clean/flip between guests is what I would like to learn the most about.

Meanwhile, I want to find specific ways to bring value to others in the area as I grow towards my goals of financial freedom and further appreciation for the beautiful State of Tennessee! 

Thanks Bob, really appreciate getting an agent's perspective here. The odd part about the $500 is he charges at the first purchase so I still have the potential to waste his time and not purchase at all. 

On point 2, to be clear he was responsive, but just not available which again makes total sense a solid agent wouldn't be sitting around with nothing to do, but when the market is hot and homes are selling in 1-2 days, that day delay showing could make or break a deal so trying to reconcile that with being reasonable about schedule. I know some agents have a team they work with that can fill in for those type of things for example.

I am new to REI, devouring education over the past several months but could use some frame of reference on what expectations are reasonable for agents. I'll avoid the temptation to give my whole story but the potentially relevant reference point is: I aiming to buy out of state, but in my hometown (only 5 hours from me) where I have several family members to help out with various tasks requiring physical presence in addition to being there already several times a year to visit. While I PLENTY of questions about other items related, here is what I'm wondering now:

1) The agent I'm working with charges a initial $500 fee for clients buying investment properties. He said this is only required on the first purchase, and from the 2nd on, no extra charge. I'm assuming this is connected with the lower purchase price of investment properties, especially in a market where homes are already low in price generally (Ohio). Is this kind of fee normal? 

2) What is a reasonable amount of time for an agent to response and be available to show a home? For example, I just found a property today around lunchtime, contacted the agent at little after at 2:30 his time to show the home with my family member there, but he said he isn't available until tomorrow. Generally this seems totally reasonable, but realize that with most markets as hot as they are, that could be the difference between grabbing the property or not. In this case the property seems to cash flow easily, so I don't think it will last long. I imagine there is no simple, clean answer to this question, but it is something I don't remember being covered on the podcast or articles that much and I've only bought one home (the one I live in) before so haven't worked with many agents.  

Thank you all for the prompt responses. The idea of relational norms is a helpful way to look at it. That was the resounding "NO" I needed to solidify what I was already suspecting, and now looking forward to moving on with more clarity having potentially avoided ruining a relationship with close family members. 

First of many posts on the Bigger Pockets Forum! And an odd one at that to kick things off. I live in Nashville but am hunting for my first cash deal in my hometown of Dayton Ohio (have a few family members already). Meanwhile, unrelated to that, my sister and her family (+ husband + child + baby) are moving back to Dayton from CO in a few weeks to camp out at our folks house there while search for a rental. While still in the early stages of my endeavor, I made the potential connection of these 2 events. Being my first deal (aiming for buy and hold with priority on cashflow), I thought it could be helpful to have a "tenant" that would provide me easier access to the home for repairs as I fine tune details of the rehab, save the trouble and $ of property management, and have another excuse to hang out with family. My sister and her husband are detail oriented, thus would also naturally point out any flaws I need to address (which I realize could backfire to be super annoying but also could be helpful). A test run so to speak.

Now that I've let the idea sink in more, and heard several times to NEVER do this, I am leaning much heavier towards not. But I am still mulling it over to make sure I wouldn't create a win/win given a few clearly defined parameters, any of which may be enough for them to decide against before I do: 

1) a commitment to NOT in any way alter what/where/how/when I buy according to them. It would be take it or leave it on a deal that fits my goals (but many of my goals happen to align with what they'd be looking for). 

 2) a shorter lease with the expectation of not being re-signed. This may be the deal breaker for them as no one wants to move...yet at the same time it would bide them time to keep searching? 

3) A written understanding in the lease that there may be minor issues with the home that may take time to fix. 

4) an agreement for rent to be slightly under market $ for the above troubles. I realize this would effect my cash flow goal, but think it could be worth that for just 6-12 months? 

Even as I write this my gut says it's probably a bad idea, and can already hear you all yelling at your computer screen, but curious to get the thoughts of those more experienced. To be clear this was my idea, not theirs, that I proposed to them before I really had time to think it over (lesson there), but they would easily understand if I changed my mind and aren't counting on it as I told them it likely wouldn't line up timing/goal wise anyhow. 

I look forward to much more interaction on this forum and learning from you all, while maybe helping some other rookies like myself!