Skip to content
×
PRO
Pro Members Get Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
$0
TODAY
$69.00/month when billed monthly.
$32.50/month when billed annually.
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here
Pick markets, find deals, analyze and manage properties. Try BiggerPockets PRO.
x
All Forum Categories
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

All Forum Posts by: Daniel S.

Daniel S. has started 4 posts and replied 7 times.

Situation:  someone owns a townhouse and decides to purchase another townhouse that is directly attached to theirs (but different mailbox numbers).

If they use an FHA loan do they have to move right next door otherwise it's fraud?
Could they move over and then move back if they "decide later" that they like their old home more?  How long until they could do this?

Thanks!

Post: Online real estate estimates are garbage.

Daniel S.Posted
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Posts 7
  • Votes 2

I recently purchased a home for $245,000.  Before doing so I had been monitoring the price of the property via 3 online sites, zillow.com, realtor.com, and homes.com.   It had been going up very gradually for months on all of these sites and prior to my purchase the values were as follows. Just a very steady climb with no volatility. 

Prior to the purchase here were the values the sites reported:
Zillow: $293,992
Realtor: $269,538
Homes: $232,700

As you know, home sale data takes time to get into government databases that these sites pull their data from, but on the exact day my sale info hit the public domain all the values changes in a way that made them closer to the sale price of 245,000:

Zillow: $288,905
Realtor: $242,484
Homes: $245,024

So its hard to trust these sites are providing relevant data if all they do is simply chase real data.  It seems awfully convenient that right as we head into summer, a time of rising prices for my area (and most areas) that the price would just fall in the case of the first two.  And with homes.com they seem to just be shamelessly matching their price to the real one.   The fact is I got a special deal on this house that allowed me to purchase it for less than it would really sell for, but these sites would never know that. 

Post: Is real estate investing just like a new gold rush?

Daniel S.Posted
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Posts 7
  • Votes 2
Originally posted by @Chris T.:

@Daniel S.

You're probably experiencing the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-m...

Since you're interested in real estate, all of a sudden almost every financial podcast is saying real estate is next big thing.

People have always invested in real estate, like many have pointed out. However, prices will not go up forever, and eventually will come down. Everything has a cycle. 

Most people don't take action, and a website like BP is meant to educate everyone. If the owners want to make more $, they would have a guru section offering $9995 courses for the materials they have on this site.

 I've actually been wondering if this is what I have been experiencing, but I didn't have a name for it until I read this post.  Thank you for the information! 

Post: Is real estate investing just like a new gold rush?

Daniel S.Posted
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Posts 7
  • Votes 2
Originally posted by @Alexander Felice:

There is a gold rush to real estate after every economic downfall. It was especially potent after the last crash because it was so real estate driven.  Making wealth in real estate is not new, in fact it's more likely the oldest way of all.

Over the next few decades more people will rent than ever before, so it seems there will more opportunity in the future than there is even now.

If you think BP is going to assist in the oversaturation and subsequent downfall of real estate profitability I think you grossly underestimate how many houses there are and how often there is transition of ownership.

 I'm not saying just bigger pockets, but if you find other blogs that talk about financial freedom and independence the quantity of them citing real estate is astounding.  

Post: Is real estate investing just like a new gold rush?

Daniel S.Posted
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Posts 7
  • Votes 2

I'd be curious as to how many real estate investors go on to start a blog or write a book about their experience.  I have a natural anti-salesman skepticism so I'm always on the lookout for whether the investment is the true source of profit, or if selling/talking about the investment is the true 'gold mine'

Post: Is real estate investing just like a new gold rush?

Daniel S.Posted
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Posts 7
  • Votes 2

It seems every 'financial freedom' or 'financial independence' podcast and blog recommends people to own real estate to attempt to get cash flow out of it.  But how long can this continue?  Property values have risen quite a bit over the past few years so anyone getting in the game at this point is going to have a harder time finding a property that will cash flow.  

If more and more people attempt to house-hack and have roommates or air-bnb or buy multi-families then supply of housing options will expand so much for renters and travelers that prices will invariably come down.  

In the gold rush the pioneers that arrived first and staked out the best spots made the best money.  Then when the news broke to everyone else there was a flood of newcomers most of which did not experience even close to the same level of success.  The people who were able to make money were the ones selling supplies and tools to the prospectors.  That's what bigger pockets is doing, they are  profiting off the process of getting more and more people into this game, but the more people that get in the less profitable the game will be.  

Combine this with the fact that technology will continue to displace people out of careers and even more people will want in on the passive income action. 

In the end the owners of bigger pockets will have made a boatload and won't care, but how does that shake out for people who are just trying to start out?

I'd love responses refuting my points so that we can get a good debate going.  Responses to the tune of 'well no one will get anywhere with that attitude' are not what I'm looking for.  I actually like the space currently and have recently invested, but I'm analytical and like to try and predict how things might play out.  

Post: How wealthy are Brandon and Josh?

Daniel S.Posted
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Posts 7
  • Votes 2

How wealthy are Josh and Brandon, the founders of bigger pockets?  On the latest podcast Brandon (who seems to be in a later entrant and thus likely less equity) said that he wanted to get rid of a property cash flowing $2000 a month because it's a headache to him.   I think in another episode he said he had over 100 properties. 

How much do the bigger pockets owners make from bigger pockets vs real estate? And what would you guys estimate their overall net worth at?