All Forum Posts by: Craig Bellot

Hi Richard,

Real Estate investing is such a great thing to be involved in. It's great learning about the ins and outs of investing and managing property. It's amazing to get up close to the action of closing and making deals.

I love that real estate is so multi faceted. The economics, financial, social and mechanical and legal make it fascinating to me.

Good luck on breaking out into this new endeavor and let me know if there's any way I can help!

-Craig Bellot

Hello Japeth, 

As an agent you will need to begin building your identity as a trusted advisor in home sales and purchases. I would begin with a Facebook page. 

With social media, or any other type of marketing you need to understand VRIN scores: 

V stands for value. 

R stands for rarity or how rare it is. 

I stands for inimitable. 

N stands for non-substitutable. 

Value means you are giving your followers what they are interested in. Your posts need to be reaching your audience's values. I know my audience values growing their wealth safely, so I create content that shows how we do that. People value the payoff of real estate and investing, so I post my numbers, analysis and all the great tips that my businesses have profited from. 

Rarity is how many other accounts are out there posting similar content. The more content that you provide that not many people get to see, the more excited people will be when they see it. It’s common sense. Rarity is the amount of emotion that people get when they see your post.

Inimitable means your post is hard to recreate. It means that not only is it rare, it’s unique and genuine. People can tell when what you’re posting is trying to be like someone else. You have to be unique, so others can’t reproduce what you’ve created. 

Non-substitutable is similar to rarity, but it also means that what your posting is relatively impossible to be replaced by something new. You need to create timeless content, so as time goes on, your post is still relevant. If you master these, your business will grow and you will create a loyal audience, because you understand why your audience follows you and engages with you.

Let me know if you have any questions!

-Craig Bellot

Hey Lexus, 

Congrats on deciding to join the world of Real Estate Investing! The first steps I would recommend as a new investor is to get a handle on analyzing the income, expenses and ROI of the properties. Bridgeport, CT is a great place to look.

You can use the Bigger Pockets calculators to start. Use Zillow and rentometer.com to get data and analyze a few from your home to see what type of returns there are.

If these meet your investment criteria then start looking in person.

Let me know if you have any questions.

-Craig Bellot

@Dhrumit Patel  We like to see at least a 10% cap rate,  especially in Hartford County CT. 

Your number for landscaping is a bit high, not sure what size lawn you are estimating for. 

Other than that your analysis looks great!

Hey Haixia,

The first steps I would recommend as a new investor is to get a handle on analyzing the income, expenses and ROI of the properties. Bridgeport, CT is a good place to look.

You can use the Bigger Pockets calculators to start. Use Zillow and rentometer.com to get data and analyze a few from your home to see what type if returns there are.

If these meet your investment criteria then start looking in person.

Let me know if you have any questions.

-Craig Bellot

Hello Katelyn, 

As an new buyer/investor, you need to know your numbers, cold.

Whether you hire out everything or are more involved, plan from the beginning to be able to step away from the business if you need to.

That requires careful analysis of the property BEFORE you buy, to determine if it meets your financial goals AFTER including all expenses.

If any turn key company sends you a cashflow analysis without at least TIMMUR:
1. Taxes,
2. Insurance,
3. Management,
4. Maintenance,
5. Utilities,
6. Repairs

Then run for the hills.

In Bridgeport, Connecticut and many North East regions we also include Snow Removal and Pest control.

Explore all markets but do your research, as to where net migration and jobs are heading.

House Hacking is possible but your best bet is definitely CT within your budget.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

-Craig Bellot

Hey Avgoustis!

Welcome to Real Estate Investing! The first steps I would recommend as a new investor is to get a handle on analyzing the income, expenses and ROI of the properties.

You can use the Bigger Pockets calculators to start. Use Zillow and rentometer.com to get data and analyze a few from your home to see what type if returns there are.

If these meet your investment criteria then start looking in person.
Let me know if you have any questions.

-Craig Bellot

Hey Christina,

The first steps I would recommend as a new investor is to get a handle on analyzing the income, expenses and ROI of these properties in Bridgeport CT. Connecticut in general is in a sellers market. You will need to be creative in negotiating to get the price / terms you need.

You can use the Bigger Pockets calculators to start. Right now rents are strong, you can get $800 for a 1 bed, $1100 for 2 bed, and up to $1300 for a 3 bedroom. Use Zillow and rentometer.com to get data and analyze a few from your home to see what type if returns there are.

If these meet your investment criteria then start looking in person by contacting the listing agent.

Let me know if you have any questions.

-Craig Bellot

Hey Mike, 

As a new investor you will need to begin building your identity as a trusted advisor in home sales and purchases. Websites are great but social media is a good place to start too. 

 I would begin with a Facebook page. With social media, or any other type of marketing you need to understand VRIN scores: V stands for value. R stands for rarity or how rare it is. I stands for inimitable and N stands for non-substitutable. Value means you are giving your followers what they are interested in. Your posts need to be reaching your audience's values. I know my audience values growing their wealth safely, so I create content that shows how we do that. People value the payoff of real estate and investing, so I post my numbers, analysis and all the great tips that my businesses have profited from. Rarity is how many other accounts are out there posting similar content. 

The more content that you provide that not many people get to see, the more excited people will be when they see it. It’s common sense. Rarity is the amount of emotion that people get when they see your post. Inimitable means your post is hard to recreate. It means that not only is it rare, it’s unique and genuine. People can tell when what you’re posting is trying to be like someone else. You have to be unique, so others can’t reproduce what you’ve created.

Non-substitutable is similar to rarity, but it also means that what your posting is relatively impossible to be replaced by something new. You need to create timeless content, so as time goes on, your post is still relevant. 

If you master these, your business will grow and you will create a loyal audience, because you understand why your audience follows you and engages with you. Let me know if you have any questions!

-Craig Bellot

@James Walsh we use a standard 5% vacancy rate and 10% maintenance on all properties older than 30 years.