All Forum Posts by: Chris Taylor

@John Hovanec

Yes there are sone local meetups I checked recently. I plan on attending the next one that comes up. I also reached out to a local investor near me through BiggerPockets and will hopefully be grabbing lunch with him soon.

@Merritt S.

I just noticed your post about Craigslist making money. It’s funny because about a year ago it came up in a conversation and I had always assumed they made money by selling information on their users. So I asked Google to see if that assertion was correct. I guess there are a hand full of major Cities where they charge a fee for posting jobs, rentals, etc. This supposedly covers their operating expenses and the company technically makes no profit. But if you are an employee of said company you can pay yourself whatever you want. So you are making money as an employee but the company is not. I guess they only have 12 employees. But yes for the majority people, most if not all the posts are free of charge.

@Merritt S.

No doubt. I guess I liken it to picking up women. You have to get told no 10 times before you get a yes.

@Benjamin Ross

Now that’s something I didn’t consider. And I may have to pull back. I was a little abrasive with a couple folks who keep posting properties but never follow up once they get my contact information. I wasn’t at first but after a few times it started to irritate me.

@May Emery

You’re right I do have to try off market as well. I have a list saved on ListSource but haven’t made the purchase. That is going to be my 4th method even if it’s just 1,000 people. It’s a numbers game.

@James Wise

For sure. Even if I am able to reach those people I don't have the resources, capital or expertise to compete with the big dogs. I thought about direct mail using ListSource but haven't pulled the trigger. Right now I'm just trying to plant a bunch of seeds hoping one of them grows into a tree. Hoping one slips through the cracks eventually. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel just trying to copy those who use the wheel in the most efficient way. I've been in contact with you but I have never approached you on a deal because my HELOC just closed last week and I didn't want to waste your time. I could buy something under $50k for cash but would be fully extended which I'm not sure if I want to do that. Next step is a getting a pre-approval so I know my buying power beyond what my HELOC will cover. I have 3 or 4 possible partners that would increase buying power but I want to see where I'm at on my own first. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me once I get that figured out.

@Jason D.

Thank you and good luck to you on your future deals! I contacted a few realtors who specialize in foreclosures and short sales so hopefully between all of that I will find something in the next few months. I hear one of the hardest parts is staying focused and not getting discouraged. I’m patiently looking ...

@Charlie MacPherson

Thanks for the insight. I definitely can see there are a lot of scammers or wannabe wholesalers. I have talked to a few legit people so you’re definitely right with what you are saying. Since I get emails with links to the posts I literally have no time into it other than the initial set up. I just need to be more selective with who I contact. For example if you can’t even provide pictures or an address then I probably shouldn’t waste my time contacting you (Craigslist posters not you...lol).

@Jason D.

Thanks for the reply. Most definitely keeping that mindset when looking on Craigslist even when it’s not for real estate. Just getting frustrated with the number of people I contact and they don’t ever respond once they get your number and email.

Until I get established I think the BRRRR strategy is the best option so I can force some equity and get my initial investment back and repeat. Yeah I know ... yawn ... so says every newbie... lol. Looking for buy and hold rentals under $100k. SFH all the way up to a quad. I bet you've never heard that before ....

So I have a few methods I'm trying for finding investment properties. My HELOC was just approved and processed last week but I've been actively looking the past few months.

Method 1

I look online at Realtor.com, Zillow, FSBO, foreclosures websites, etc. Obviously not the best method but better than nothing.

Method 2

I had a realtor set me up on their MLS auto mailer. So whenever a property that meets my criteria is posted on the MLS I get an email.

Method 3

I downloaded an app that links Craigslist to a GMAIL account. Much like method 2... I set my criteria and whenever something is posted that meets that criteria I get an email with a link to the post.

Anyone ever have any luck with Craigslist? I am finding two things. One is that there are wholesalers listing properties they don’t even have under contract. Second it seems like some people are placing fake listings to obtain contact information for potential buyers. Things move fast in this business so I don’t want to waste time chasing deals that might not even exist. Is Craigslist worth effort?