All Forum Posts by: Dante Nava

Add some fertilizer to the lawn, particularly something with a good amount of nitrogen in it. It will green up what's there and make it stand out. I don't know what lawns are like there, but it looks like you've got a decent lawn, it's just got brown spots. If they're popular in the area, a mailbox at the end of the driveway would look good too. If you're marketing using that picture, crop it so that you can see more of the house than the lawn. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

I would probably do like @Richard C. said and pressure wash or stain the driveway.

One thing I have noticed in this area since moving here from Arizona is that there are a lot of people passing through the RTP area. So there are LOTS more apartments here than I had been aware of in other places. That being said, a lot of people are still renting, myself included. Keep in mind there are people that may feel "tied down" to a place if they buy. So rentals are still a possibility. The lack Of inventory in say Cary is what is making me want to focus on it.

Hi @Lauren Doyle,

Welcome to the area! Something to consider would be to check out, or call up, temp agencies and ask if they work with real estate-centric companies. A part time temp job would at least help familiarize yourself with the area and who the different companies are in the area. Another option would be to go to the grocery store or Wally world and pick up one of those Apartment for rent or homes for rent or even Real Estate magazines that are free then just call them up to see if they are hiring. It's a lot of work, but would probably be more fruitful than blasting out résumés on Jobbing or Monster. Good luck!

-Dante

Welcome Jon! Try googling REIA's in your area (Real Estate Investors Association). Or even check out the meet up website.

-Dante

Probably around the Maryvale Area. Or maybe even a little further west, like east of the 101 and west of 59/67th Ave. between McDowell and Glendale Ave. I'd go driving for dollars or put up signs in those areas. In spanish and in english. I used to live right by Maryvale High School. There are some decent pockets around there, if you're looking for fix and holds, that'd be a good area to look, too far east and you end up in the ghetto. There are TONS of areas all throughout the Phoenix area, though prices have come up a LOT since the crash.

Do you have access to buyers already or are you ready to buy, I've got "boots on the ground" so to speak further out west than Phoenix and am putting out feelers for money once I start getting good leads.

I'm starting out as well, and I've noticed that Redfin is pretty decent. Pretty much I use it, Zillow, Trulia and the county tax websites in order to cross check what I find on one service against the others. If something still looks like it could make for an actual deal I then take that to someone I know that is willing to do onesie twosie MLS searches and comps for me. None of those is going to be as good as an actual MLS search, at least as far as I've been able to tell. There is a LOT of information out there you can find out about a property, when it was last sold, for how much, and what similar properties sold for in the last few years that will help you run some preliminary numbers before "bugging" someone for the price of $0.

looks like my question has been answered before. Countless times.

@Henry M. Thanks for the welcome!

@Ricky A. Congratulations! Kids will change your life (for the better mostly) ;-) I'm sure the market will be waiting when you're ready to get back into it. Thanks for the welcome as well.

Hi,

I've been looking for info in this, but in North Carolina, what does the closing process look like when you are in a wholesale situation. Meaning: I find a seller, they sign a contract that I then sell my position on. Where does the property inspection come in (I'm assuming the C buyer does it)? Also, where does the title company come in and the (I'm assuming) closing attorney come in. Is closing any cheaper this way than when you're buying a house retail?

I know this is several questions at once, but those are the details that are fuzzy for me. Thanks in advance.

Wow! That's a lot of responses and even some colleague requests! Thanks everyone!

Here goes on the replys:

@Laura Moore : @Danny Johnson's book is called Flippin Houses Exposed. It's free on the Kindle website and very cool. Good luck to us both as we kick things off.

@Ned Carey Thanks for the well wishes! I know the luck will come in the form of hard work.

@Jerry W. Thanks! I've got it set up now as a key word.

@Liam Goble Thanks! That is a great idea, and I'm still figuring out what the next two years are going to look like, I just know where I want to be in the next 5 years. Also you're right, one day for 1 room is a VERY short period of time, especially to put it all back together. I used to do a lot of work on the houses that my parents rented out, and have been around construction most of my younger to teenage years. So Fix-and-Hold is definitely a possibility I'm considering.

@Darren Sager Thanks Darren! I've been working my way through the beginners guide when I have time and am definitely planning on upgrading sometime next month.

@Bryan L. I'm in the process of moving, so I'm getting a better feel for how different websites display information (zillow, trulia, redfin, craigslist, Wake and Durham county Tax office) and how they work. The better lead generation comes from: we've made it a habit of driving around looking at neighborhoods and getting to know them (particularly in Cary and Morrisville), so now we just need to start writing down addresses so that we can start doing some driving for dollars/direct mail marketing campaigns going. I was looking at Zillow's Pre-Foreclosure feature, but have my doubts as to how up to date and accurate it is, at which point I'll be doing some door knocking as well. I also mentioned above that I'm working on my website, which I'm not horrible at doing, and will be using that as well. Once I upgrade my account I'll add it to my profile.

@David Lee Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to posting about my success! I'll be posting a link to my website once it's ready or I upgrade my account (whichever comes first).