All Forum Posts by: David LaHaie

Has anyone noticed an increase in housing demand?  I'm getting a lot of  short term 3 month lease requests. 

Are you sure that it isn't just too soon to notice?  As of today a buddy of mine was still rescuing people from flooded apartments (on a kayak, and yes, he is crazy).  I think we'll see a lot of activity this weekend now that it appears the worst is behind us.  

For those of you who have (non-damaged) vacant rentals, do you anticipate higher demand and plan to increase rent?  The optics of such a move isn't great but what are your thoughts?

Is anyone starting to see deals on real estate?  I just bought a home in The Woodlands (primary residence) and my experience is that most sellers let their homes sit at 10+% market rate until the listing expires!  I would like to purchase a rental too here but I can't find anything that comes close to cash flowing with 20% down and today's low interest rates!

Thanks for the warm welcome!   

@Nikolas Ferreira not sure where I'll end up yet, although I'm leaning towards The Woodlands because of the schools. Definitely, let's get coffee and talk REI.

@Naeem Kapasi thanks for the suggestion, I just downloaded it and it looks fantastic.

@Roland Thomas thanks, I appreciate your thoughts!

The move is primarily due to school district quality.  The property is the one of the least expensive in the neighborhood (range $450k-$1.5M, median ~$600k).  I certainly want to build wealth long term which it fits in well, although it wouldn't be a bad idea to sell and get the equity to get immediate cash flow from a less costly property purchased outright.   The transaction costs of real estate is so high, this is the primary source of friction for me to do this.   

Hello,

I'm deciding whether or not to lease my primary residence when I move this next year.  It's in a great walkable neighborhood that should be fairly easy to rent out.   Below are some key numbers and I'd appreciate your thoughts on what you would do if you were in my shoes.  

Appraisal Value, $445k

Loan, $250k, 18 years remaining, 3.0% fixed. PITI ($2230/ month, principal payoff ~$900 per month) HOA $150/ month.

Market lease rate, $3100-$3500

Roughly 10 years old, and I don't anticipate any major repairs soon.  The area has been appreciating quickly over the past 10 years and I suspect it will continue at ~4%.  

I'm having difficulty making this decision because the property won't cash flow very well, however, it should be exceptional with respect to principal payoff, tax advantages, and appreciation. 

Hello BP!

Great to be a part of this group!  I'm just starting to get deliberate about real estate investing and using it as a tool to build wealth long term and passive income eventually.   

I am primarily interested in buy and hold and presently, I have one upper middle class townhome (class B?) leased out and have a second (my current residence) that I plan to lease out in a few months when I move to the burbs.  It would be great to hear from you guys and get your input about the local market and about best practices everywhere.  

Cheers Y'all!