All Forum Posts by: Chris Low

These are great questions, @Cary F.. Thanks for asking them at this pivotal time when so many people are asking the same things. Politics aside, my bet is still on real estate. There's volatility in the markets, uncertainty across the globe and even the mighty bond market, which is usually very stable, is taking a hit right now. No one knows how this will all play out. Given all the unknowns in the near and distant future, my bet for my money is on real estate. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, real estate is a tangible asset.

@Tim Kersting, good to know it's holding up well. Thanks for the reply!

Thanks @Tim Jones for the response. Adjacent rooms are all going to be the same engineered wood that's replacing the old vinyl. I can see how the old vinyl could act as a vapor barrier but I was under the impression we won't get a good fit if we lay the new wood floor over the old vinyl.

@Tim Kersting - how did your laminate flooring hold up? I'm looking at a similar product from Home Depot and have the same problem with old vinyl glued to a slab foundation. Removing it is difficult to say the least. I was under the impression you couldn't just lay laminate flooring over it. Was yours  a flip or buy and hold? If you're holding on to it, I'm just curious how it's holding up.

We are in the middle of demolition on a house we are flipping. It has old vinyl flooring from 1980 in the kitchen and bath that has to be removed but it's glued tight to the slab foundation. I don't know what type of glue was used but it's pretty much impossible to get up. Any suggestions on how to remove it? New floors will be engineered wood.

You did a great job on this one, @Joseph England! Congrats. It's always exciting to visualize what a home could be when you walk into something that is really dilapidated. Awesome job making it a reality and thanks for sharing all the before and after pics.

@Lisa Kohl, when will Kevin Carroll be speaking at the Boise Investor's Group?

@Chris Watkins - I ask myself this same question often when looking at properties to flip. Generally, the cost of adding an extra bedroom doesn't pencil out because it won't raise the ARV enough (generally). However, on a buy and hold, I might reconsider. As you've described it, the one question I thought of is are you also going to be able to add a bathroom downstairs or is one already there? Without that, I don't think I'd do it. Your downstairs tenant is not going to want to make trips upstairs to use the bathroom. Just a thought.

This is great info, @Bill Schrimpf. Thanks so much for sharing. Definitely a market we want to look into.

@Marc C. Great question! I just look at it as a diversification play. While I do strongly believe real estate is the best investment out there, there are a lot of different ways to invest in real estate and we're doing more than one. I'm concentrating on flips to increase my available cash pool relatively quickly so I can be in a position to do multiple cash offers. I'm focusing my 401k-type investing in buy-and-hold properties for long term passive income generation. I'm carving off a slice of available capital to use to buy tax liens that produce slower, but dependable growth. I've looked into RealtyShares both as a source of project funding as well as a way to invest. I appreciate that there are a lot of different ways to be an active real estate investor. If, at some point, I decide I'm tired of doing flips, or tired of being a landlord, I'm sure going to be glad there are other ways to invest!