All Forum Posts by: Courtney Wenzel

Exactly what Kevin Paglia said. I would opt for concrete pavers with a little area of artificial turf. 

- Keep the width of turf area under 15' to reduce install cost (Roll of syn grass is 15' wide)
- If there will be pets and heavy traffic, spend the money on a heavier weighed turf. 
- Put down a copper slag infill to help reduce the pet order smell and future cleanliness.
- If you go with concrete pavers, install a solid 4"-6" of road-bock base, don't cut corners on the foundation, it will save you in the long run.

@Lawrence Walker You got it! I'll send you a PM. I would benefit greatly on hearing about your wholesaler experience. 
Anytime you need a contractor referral just send me a DM or if someone would need help understanding or reviewing a contractors bid, let me know - a person can gather significant information quickly from having 2 or 3 bids to review and compare. 

A little side tip; if you are looking at investing in other states. Just because the labor numbers makes sense on paper, make sure those numbers make sense in real life. 

Example, if I were to complete the same project in Scottsdale, AZ or West Palm Beach, FL. It would cost the same to complete both projects. (Those are my numbers, most people will probably say different)

BUT, it would take me 1.5 times as long to complete the Florida project. The work pool is A LOT smaller in South Florida. 

My suggestion would be to find a network of contractors before any purchase and really get a good idea of how long they are schedule out. 

@Alejandro Piedra I'm in a very similar position, only I work in construction sales north of you 30 mins in Stuart, FL and Treasure Coast area. 

I have a great network of contractors around Florida and over 10 years in the construction industry. I was looking to be full time investor by Q4 this year but we will see where this Corona Craze is going to take us.

I'm wanting to expand to a new market in the next year. Currently looking at Tampa and Orlando for local projects and would like to educate myself more on Tulsa, Fayetteville and Oklahoma City. I would be open to looking at anything in Texas or Savannah, GA as well. 

Let me know if you are interested in throwing around ideas. This will be my first intentional real estate deal when the market calms down. I've been house hacking unintentionally until I came across the BP podcast and group about 3 months ago.

Stay Safe
                                           

I grew up in central South Dakota and ditched town shortly after high school. Ended up in Scottsdale AZ and found the world is a bright and beautiful place full of talented people. Ended up in the swimming pool industry and had the time of my life selling high end projects ($60-$300K backyard pools and landscaping). You can imagine that I met with high end professionals on a weekly basis presenting proposals. 

It wasn't until I visited back home in South Dakota 5 1/2 years after I had left to realize, some things will never change. Small town people are small town people. There is nothing wrong with that, I respect it! Myself on the other hand, I have to have the hustle and bustle of the city to feel at home. 

I would approach each market completely different. Having dealt with consumers in both markets they both have an entirely different view on life and value of money.

God Bless the USA that I got the hell out of there. I am happy I got the chance to grow up there but happier I left! I've been blessed to be able to travel the world for work/pleasure and I always make an effort to be conscience of how many amazing people are in the world. You pass thousands of great people every week. But it only takes 1 jack-wagon to ruin a fella's entire week. Focus on all the positive relationships you will gain in Arizona! That is an amazing part of the world, Phoenix Metro is a powerful networking hub where construction never stops! I miss Scottsdale every day, I felt like that city is built on mentors for any industry! I met so many great individuals in AZ that gave up their knowledge and experience. There are some really solid BNI Groups in the metro area. (Business Networking International) they meet weekly and really bring a powerful network!

@Matt Gironda I'm in the same boat over on the East side; north of WPB. I'm looking for property in Tampa area, Treasure Coast, and Orlando. I have 10 years in residential construction and good network of subs and material suppliers. I was pushing to be full time in RE by 2020 (that was the plan before the Corona Craze). I'm far from a mentor and not sure what you are looking for in a partner but if you want to discuss ideas and strategy or know of any solid meet ups. Send me a PM. 

@Genna Golden Check out Answer Connect. 

https://www.answerconnect.com/

I use them and its honestly it is the best money I can spend. I have been through a couple answering services and they all seem to have extra little fees that kill the money bill. Answer Connect is straight forward on pricing and very easy to set up and get activated and make changes. You can set it up literally anyway you want. The company is very easy to work with and get a hold of for tech support as well. I'm in no way affiliated with them, just a super happy client. 

I'm in Stuart and interested in networking with other REI in the area. Just getting started industry so I will be analyzing/educating on the market for a few months until we figure out what this Corona Craze is going to do.

Send me a DM and we can network and map the future. 

I am in the pool/hardscape industry as well if anyone needs a contractor. 

@Jordan Archer Please feel free to send any future invites my way for local meet ups around the Treasure Coast. I would love to add to the attendance to any groups after the Cornoavirus dies down. 

@Laura Richards is there a general reason why someone would opt for land trust?

Hi BP group! Once again This group rocks and I feel like I have been hiding under a rock the last 30 years without knowing about this group!

Here is the backstory, my Fiance and I (Mid 30's - no children) are both dedicated to the same things in life (which it ultimately to build a Legacy that provides for our grandchildren's, children.) We moved to South Florida from Scottsdale, AZ last year after we sold our business  that we built together over 5 years. So we understand the basics about business but new to the real estate industry. 

Since we moved to Florida, we have positioned ourselves to dive in head first into the REI and be fully engaged. My fiance landed a job at a real estate broker in town as an office assistant to learn the ebb and flow of the industry. I work in construction (Swimming Pool and Landscape Design/Build) and have a lot of flexibility throughout the day to educated and drive for dollars with my job.

Our initial goal was to work our way into REI and be full time by Jan 2021. We were planning to "house hack" before I knew what it was. (A lot of this plan has changed since I discovered the @BiggerPockets .com group recently) 

I was originally thinking to use my VA Loan to get into properties with little down and do 2 year flips and then "sell" or "transfer" the property deed to my partners name to free up my available VA loan to purchase a 2nd property in Hawaii (I lived in Hawaii for 3 years and have solid connections and visit often) which would be Multi-Family Unit and allow me to rent out the other units full time and possibly do short term rentals in our unit when we are not on the island.

After joining the BP group I have since learned there are many other resources and quicker outcomes than in my original rough draft plan. After listening to a podcast where @Brandon Turner said he was going to purchase a rental property for every child he has, my Hawaii plan is long gone and I am remapping my 10 year plan. I just want to start knocking out BRRRs in South Florida and building my Legacy. 

It seems after listening to a few of the podcasts there are alternative solutions that would be better suited to start and grow and wouldn't have to wait the 2 years to refi.

My logic was that the VA Loan is $0/down on your 1st mortgage and 20% down on a second mortgage and I didn't think I would be able to afford the 20% down on a property in Hawaii. Now that is a mute point, but are there any other benefits that we would be able to capitalize on to excel the progress with BRRR's and Flips?