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All Forum Posts by: Diana Baccus

Diana Baccus has started 4 posts and replied 6 times.

Post: My Cash...is Worthless.

Diana BaccusPosted
  • Investor
  • Huntsville AL
  • Posts 6
  • Votes 0

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Guntersville.

Purchase price: $212,500
Cash invested: $2,000

3 bed, 3 bath beautiful house overlooking Guntersville Lake in AL. My husband's house he bought before we even met.

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

He needed a house and this one was weird enough so he bought it.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

He worked with an agent

How did you finance this deal?

VA loan

How did you add value to the deal?

The house is in super fancy neighborhood and it just appreciated over the years.

What was the outcome?

This is our forever home! We will pay it off and keep it forever.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

We learned that almost no vehicle can go up that super steep driveway. It is a real pain to move in and out of this house. All of our other properties are on flat slab and we will never buy anything on a hill again.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

My husband bought the house using an agent. Since then a few agents tried to sell the house but nobody could.

Post: My first ever house in the USA!

Diana BaccusPosted
  • Investor
  • Huntsville AL
  • Posts 6
  • Votes 0

I am from Bulgaria originally and never had to buy a house there. My family owns couple of properties but the process is completely different.

Post: House #3. The big scramble!

Diana BaccusPosted
  • Investor
  • Huntsville AL
  • Posts 6
  • Votes 0

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Owens Cross Roads.

Purchase price: $160,500
Cash invested: $9,500

Our current house. We are moving out at the end of June and already have a tenant to contract for August. 3 bed 3 bath, two-story, brand new house with large fenced in yard and two car garage. Definitely a step up from my first two.

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

We had to move to this town for work and there was nothing decent to rent in the area. That's why we bought a rental. It was obvious that it will be a good rental one day.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

New construction subdivision. No negotiation was needed - people were waiting to buy houses here so we just got on the list. Someone's financing didn't work and we jumped right on it.

How did you finance this deal?

Conventional 5% down with a huge help from the developer. They paid half closing costs. It was a big scramble. We were not ready to buy another house but as they say... just start working on it and you will make it work. Had to change banks late in the process and transfer appraisal. It was a nightmare but we made it work!

How did you add value to the deal?

Put up a fence and waited 11 months. The house has appreciated a lot since the subdivision was finished.

What was the outcome?

We live in it and we have a line of people waiting to rent it once the year is up in July.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Oh so many lessons. Second time working with (little to) no agent and doing everything by myself. Stared with one bank and they just became unresponsive and did not want to work with my situation so I told them to transfer the appraisal to my new bank and refund my money. I had to talk to the director of the bank for the whole state. Seriously messed up situation but here we are...

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

The developer/management company had an agent in the model home in the subdivision but he did nothing for us. Except write up an offer and take his commission. Did not even show up for the closing. I met him one time and exchanged 5 texts. He made $9k from that.

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Pelham.

Purchase price: $115,000
Cash invested: $7,000

Single family house I bought from my neighbor. It is a town-home connected to my first property. 2 bed 2 bath with fenced in yard. All updated by the previous owner.

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

It was right next door and the owner just needed to sell.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

For sale by owner with asking price of $127,500. We negotiated down to $118k with the agreement to go lower if it doesn't appraise. It appraised at $115k and that was the final price.

How did you finance this deal?

Conventional 5% down as a primary residence. I had to write a letter of explanation to the underwriter as of why am I moving literally next door from my first house. They were almost not willing to approve the loan... it was a scramble but I made it work.

How did you add value to the deal?

Some minor updates. The property was in great shape recently updated and it just appreciated as prices in the are raised significantly.

What was the outcome?

A year later I got married and moved with my husband to my property #3 in a different city

Lessons learned? Challenges?

I learned that when you give people tight timelines and push them, they make it work.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

No! I am proud to say that I did absolutely everything to make this deal work - I created my own contract, addendum for price change, worked with my bank and did everything but the closing on my own. Learned a lot in the process.

Post: My first ever house in the USA!

Diana BaccusPosted
  • Investor
  • Huntsville AL
  • Posts 6
  • Votes 0

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Pelham.

Purchase price: $103,000
Cash invested: $4,500

My first house! 2 bed 2 bath town home with small fenced in yard in a quiet beautiful neighborhood with great schools (I just got lucky, I don't have kids yet)

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

It was not an investment. That was a house I bought to live in and I picked it for myself.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

The agent I worked with was super nice and patient with me. She showed me 5-6 houses and I fell in love with this one.

How did you finance this deal?

FHA - the agent recommended the mortgage person and she was nice and patient too.

How did you add value to the deal?

My dad flew across the world to put new flooring in the house. I thing it's valued at $125,000 now but definitely not selling

What was the outcome?

I lived there for 18 months and now it is a rental with great income.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

FHA is not a good deal

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Jana Clark LAH Realty - super sweet and great professional