All Forum Posts by: Chris S.

I use Sramek and Hightower. I used Cathleen Hahn, but she combined with them. This was the first year with them, they did a good job although it was a bit slower this year than last for them to finish my taxes. 

You can ask for suggestions to anything, you just may not get many answers if people dont want to give up their golden goose haha

Hey there, 

I have a few fourplexes in Mt. View. To be on the safe side estimate utilities to be about $900/month. Including lawncare etc. Average rents for a 2 bed 1 bath are around 900-1000 depending on how it looks and what part of Mt. View its in. Closer to Mt. View Rd seems to be harder to rent out to decent people in my experience. 

You can have Enstar average out your gas use for the year so you get the same cost per month year around. A lot easier to track and figure in your expenses. 

I'm up for it

Hey Jason,

Depending on your agent you should get listing sent to you meeting your specifications. Besides just doing that, I would check the MLS/Zillo/etc yourself to see what's listed as your agent may miss a property or not realize one matches what you are looking for.

I got lucky with our first property and didnt have to bid much, but after that had to throw out many many offers until one stuck. Dont get discouraged, you are about to invest tons of money and you want to make sure it's a good property before you commit. 

I would look at a property and figure out what you are willing to spend on it to still make you money. If you want to to you can always have your agent put in an offer for a price but have a bid contingency where you are willing to go higher up to X amount. 

Real Estate investing takes grit, but the right property will show up. 

Tenantcloud is free to use and 9 bucks a month for online payments. It's basically apptoto but cheaper if you wanna try it.

Gotta agree with Cam on the properties around Whispering wood. There are a bunch of (imo) overpriced fourplexes being built there right now. like 750k each last time I checked but the duplexes arent bad for new construction. The 4plexes there just feel small and cramped to me. There are also a lot of condos in that area and its generally a very quiet spot. I manage a condo in there which I use to live at (sister in laws) and always like the area. 

Mt. View is a difficult area to own in for a first time house hacker/investor. It is the "bad" area of town and a lot of people who havent lived there before dont understand the clientele of the area.

With real estate prices being pretty high due to low interest rates a lot of owners in Mt. View are trying to get rid of their headache property.  I own a few fourplex in Mt. View and while they can make money, they are generally older buildings that have never been updated so you will have more issues. Mt View also has a bad rap in Anchorage and it will be more difficult to get good tenants. Not impossible by any means, but definitely more difficult. 

Hey Heather, I will send you a PM shortly with some suggestions.

Hey,

Prob south Anchorage, Umed, or Eagle River would be good for you. Only issue is everyone in Anchorage thinks their houses are made of gold. Often times when a deal does come around it is grabbed up quickly by cash buyers and flipped. Bot to say its impossible to find a decent deal, but you will have to keep an eye out for awhile. 

No where in Anchorage is really terrible in comparison to the bad areas you will find in the southern states. But most are hesitant to invest in Mt. View/Fairview due to the homeless populations and bad landlords who dont screen/take care of their properties. Not a place I would reccomend for a first time owner occupant anyways. 

I do property management and know multiple agents who do owner occupied investment properties. If you would like I can give some recommendations.

Welcome Heather! ai do property management and know some good agents if you are looking. Feel free to reach out if you have questions