Skip to content
×
PRO
Pro Members Get Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
$0
TODAY
$69.00/month when billed monthly.
$32.50/month when billed annually.
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here
Pick markets, find deals, analyze and manage properties. Try BiggerPockets PRO.
x
All Forum Categories
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

All Forum Posts by: Carl Hebert

Carl Hebert has started 11 posts and replied 231 times.

Post: 3rd buy & hold property a single family in Maine

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Auburn.

Purchase price: $30,000
Cash invested: $44,000

Single family home, 3-bedroom 1-bath, bought with cash. I just happened to glance at the single family mls listings and saw that this had just hit the market that day. I was just up the street so drove by and immediately called my agent to schedule a walk through. The outside yard was horrendous, and the inside looked old and worn out. Walking through though I could see the bones were solid and most of the work we could do.

They were asking $35k and I offered $30k cash. Agent was a bit hesitant, but they accepted the offer same day.
We rented through the winter and started remodeling in the spring of 2017. Worked with the city to get a grant to help with some of the costs and they ended up doing the plumbing and rebuilding the yard. They set it up for a new driveway, installed a retaining wall and sculpted the land to let the water flow away from the building instead of directly into it.

The interior was gutted and completely redone by us. Removed the old bath to expand the kitchen and made a larger bathroom with laundry on the other side of the building. New electric and plumbing throughout. New roof over the kitchen and front porch. New front and back stairs outside. Painted everything that needed to be painted.

Took most of the year to finish, but we rented it out in December of 2017 and same tenants are in it to this day.
We rented it for $850 and it currently is at $1000, tenant pays all utilities. Really like the current tenants, they keep the place clean, and the yard always looks great. Pretty much hands off with this property, one of the reasons the rent is below market. The current tenant leaves this would probably rent for $1300-$1500.
Current cashflow is $420 avg, before the current loan on the property we average about $625. You can see why I was in rush to raise the rents on my good tenants :)
Current market value is $160k

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

This had to be one of the most impulse purchases I have ever done. I saw it on the mls by luck and was right nearby. Did a walkthrough and put a cash offer in that day. I saw great potential in this property and did not want to think back later with I wish I had bought it.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

MLS, made cash offer 5k below asking price of $35k

How did you finance this deal?

Cash

How did you add value to the deal?

Complete gut and remodel inside, ton of work outside.

What was the outcome?

Building currently cashflows for $420 a month and is valued at $160k

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Started a great relationship with the City of Auburn, which paid off later on a different property. The challenge was initially figuring out how to navigate the cities grant program.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Fontaine Family Realtors, Clay Larochelle was our agent.

Post: Anyone buy rental properties in Maine

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

@Taylor Smith congrats on working towards your second property! I would say most of Maine is fairly tight on inventory as far as investment property goes. My last one was found off market and allowed me not to have to deal with 5-10 other investors looking to grab whatever pops up on the mls lol. 

I am focused on just the Lewiston/Auburn area, but there are a lot of folks on here from all areas of the state. Just ask about what area you want info on and someone will probably chime in.

As far as Androscoggin county goes there are 59 multi's listed and only 19 are not pending lol. That is probably changing as I type this out.

I am not as familiar with the single family homes, so hopefully someone else can chime in on that area.

Good luck on your new property!

Post: Seeking Funding Advice for a 6 plex in Rockland Maine

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

@Jane Johanson - Hi Jane, like @Ed Emmons said 1st National is a good place to start looking and also Camden National. I have been using Mechanics Savings Bank for my commercial purchases. Last one was a 10yr with a 20yr amort @ 4%.

Post: Apartment emptying cost?

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

@Adam Rogers I would do an estimate for them based on your best guess and tell them you will invoice them with the actual cost to haul it away plus the hours needed. Give them your hourly rate up front. I have done similar jobs to this and there is always something that makes the job take longer or cost more than anticipated. 

Post: Tenant asked to add a dog to the house hold

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

@Michael P. I allow pets and have the tenants pay a $250 refundable deposit, there is no harm in making it refundable. If there isn't any damage give it back to the tenant. I would definitely check with your state laws to see if you can have a non refundable pet deposit, some states do not allow them. 

I have not started charging an extra pet rent yet, but may look into that in the future. People love their pets like kids and we get a lot more applicants because we accept pets and most ask what the extra charges will be. 

Post: Tenant keeping boat in fenced in backyard in Cape Coral

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

@Terry Fox, I live in Cape Coral in the winter months and the only issue I know the city has and is trying to enforce is not having vehicles parked on the lawns out front or blocking the sidewalks. That and the normal keep your crap off the side of the road. There are lots of boats in Cape Coral and when I bike, run or walk anywhere you see them in driveways and backyards everywhere.

Post: New members - ready to move forward

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

@Chad Weston Welcome to BP Chad, looks like you are off to a great start. I get a ton of info of from these forums!

Carl

Post: How is inventory in your market?

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

The multi-family market in central Maine has been diminished to almost nothing. Like others have said on here already, any property that is in decent shape and priced correctly goes under contract in 1-3 days.

Post: Eviction in Naples, Florida

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

I agree with @Ken Naim and @Stetson Miller about the attorney over a property management company. 

@Felix Andrei -

My question is how did the tenant get put into the place before the background check was done? Seems like something went wrong there.

I would also recommend she pays the $40 fee for the background check to avoid getting fined and just add that to the list of costs the lawyer will have when evicting the tenant.

I would also tell her to let the tenant know that she is looking into getting a lawyer to start the eviction process and those fees will be added to the back rent owed. The eviction on someones background makes it hard to get a decent rental in the future, a reminder of this may help.

Carl

Post: Commercial Term Loan and Schedule E - Mulitple properties

Carl HebertPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Auburn, ME
  • Posts 236
  • Votes 140

@Ashish Acharya Thanks, we knew about the amortization for the term, just didn't know if we could do it as one item or had to spread it out over all the properties in the loan. 

Been doing this for several mortgages for awhile and wasn't sure when we consolidated how to proceed.

Carl