All Forum Posts by: Chad McLeod

Ok, I hear ya.  And yeah most review sites I take with a huge grain of salt because the complaints are often ridiculous, or the positive reviews might be written by someone who actually works for that company (my last employer actually encouraged employees to leave multiple positive reviews online <eye roll>).  

The site I was talking about is a little different because by using the URL it allows everyone to see the entire thread from the person who lists the item to the person who agrees to buy it.  From there each person has to log in with their password to leave a review.  But anyway, I don't know all the logistics behind it so I'm mainly just thinking out loud.

Thanks again for responding.

Thank you for the response, Joe.  I appreciate it.

I guess what I'm envisioning, and maybe this could be exploited on this site so take it FWIW, but I am a member of another site where people post items for sale.  When someone purchases an item they leave a review and use the URL of the item they purchased.  The seller also leaves a review using the same URL.  Now, there are plenty of times when people are lazy and don't leave a review at all.  But by and large the community works REALLY well because members can look at past reviews and kind of go from there.  The people with a lot of positive reviews are known as good sellers, and the people who have a lot of negative reviews typically don't get anyone's business or they may get outright banned.

Now, this site I mention isn't selling houses, so maybe this is an apples to oranges comparison.  But if someone on here provides a service I guess I was viewing a feedback system similar to that one.  If I'm crazy feel free to tell me

Thanks again for the information!

True.  And I'm not saying I have the perfect solution or anything like that.  But I think AN attempt at transparency is better than no attempt.  

And just for full disclosure for everyone, when I reached out to BP I never said there was an issue or a problem or argument, etc. I simply said I hadn't heard from the other member for a long time and was asking if they could help or give me suggestions.  That's when they wrote back and said they don't get involved in member disputes.  It felt very much like they were trying to wash their hands of any potential issue from the get-go.  Others may disagree with me, but to me that's just not a good look.

Agreed.  BP is a great site with an incredible amount of information and the vast majority of people here are good people who want to help.  I don't think there is any disputing that.  And to be clear, I don't have a problem with them advertising podcasts, promoting people as experts, etc.  They do that to drive traffic, increase memberships, and in general just make more money.  Again, no issue with that whatsoever.  That's just smart business.  What I DO have an issue with is taking all those steps but then turning around and saying "Not our fault" when one of the members on here has a bad experience with one of their "experts."  You don't get to tell people they need to be personally accountable for their actions but then turn around and take no accountability for your own actions.  That's willful negligence, at best.

I think at a minimum there should be a feedback system here on BP with positive/negative/neutral options.  I agree with others that it is not BP's responsibility to vet new members.  And I think their stance of not getting involved in disputes would make perfect sense if there was some sort of transparency around a rating system from other members.  It's up to people on here to do their own research for sure, but part of that research should be from people on here who have firsthand experience with the member in question. 

I haven't read all the comments, but I absolutely agree with you that there needs to be more accountability taken by the site.  A while back I used someone for a service on here, and I won't name the person's name, but it was pretty much a disaster with months of no communication from them.  When I reached out to BP the response I got was "Sorry, we don't get involved in disputes" and there was a link to the site's T&C.  So basically a CYA response.  

Now here's the thing... if this was just a random person that I picked and this happened to me I wouldn't have expected BP to intervene.  But this is someone who has been advertised for podcasts and touted as an "expert" in their field on this site.  Sorry, but I think it's a bit hypocritical to tout someone as an expert on the site but then turn around and say you're on your own when that person leaves you in the lurch.  But I'm guessing legally that's their right.  This is why I always tell people to do a ton of research and be VERY careful about using anyone on the site.  For better or worse, you're on your own.

I bought 2 NOO SFRs recently -- 1 at 4.75 and the other at 4.875. Both were 30 years and 25% down with FICO just under 800. First one I bought a point and the 2nd I bought 1.5 points. Also, the 2nd loan was only 52K so there may have been an add for the loan amount being small. I just barely missed it with the first one.

Long story short, I think the rates you mentioned are a bit on the high end.  I would definitely get more quotes if I were you.

English LIterature (insert joke here).  I actually got into real estate when I started working in the mortgage industry back in, I believe, 2006.  Although my degree isn't directly tied to real estate it has definitely helped me become an effective communicator, which in turn has helped me in real estate and pretty much all other aspects of my life.

It looks like Aaron Yang beat me to it, but when I was looking into Jacksonville the realtor I talked to said 06, 08, 09 and 54 were zip codes he would not invest in.  He's lived in Jacksonville his whole life and owns properties in the city, and said he actually PREFERS rentals in C type areas.  So for him to say he won't touch those zip codes said a lot to me.