All Forum Posts by: David N.

This is actually the home I'm living in. The house itself is only ~5 years old, but it is in a subdivision that has quite a few homes exactly the same next door. My goal is to make improvements that are worthwhile from an equity stand point, but also practical for the time during our "wait for the market to improve so I can sell." The goal is to use money from the sale of this house to go toward future investment opportunities.

Yes, granite or another like-surface is exactly what I had in mind for all of the reasons you mentioned. Ultimately, I'm trying to appreciate this property as much as possible because it is currently underwater. I have no problem covering the PITI, but I would like to move on to a more lucrative project because this house will not cash flow.

What would bring more attention/equity: 1) updating a kitchen or 2) finishing a backyard? Let me elaborate on the two...

1) The kitchen is only ~4 years old and still looks great. All of the appliances are new and match, but the counters/backslash are bland and the craftsmanship is so-so on the countertop tiles (the grout is uneven and some of the edge tiles are layed unevenly. The only other improvement I could see is flooring.

2) The backyard is only half done and is small and lacks function and flow. There used to be a small grass area, but it died and did not make sense for the size of the yard in the first place. I wanted to put in a new patio, overhang, and possibly a built in BBQ/outdoor kitchen.

Which should be the priority?

Thanks,
Dave

Karen,

I'm looking for homes around $150K. Initially, I will need help lining up subcontractors until I figure out my own system. The main reason for rehabbing is to raise the capital to invest in rental properties.

My first goal is to setup my research model. Once that is in place, I will feel more comfortable to move on to funding projects, setting up subcontractors, etc.

Thanks,

Dave

Thanks for the tip, @Joel Owens!

I'm looking to start rehabbing SFH with the intention to invest in MFH to hold and rent. I can only see so much on the local public MLS site or sites like Zillow, Trulia, etc. I need help with finding potential investments, finding comps, hopefully buying and selling in the future, etc. Ultimately, I want to find someone who is well versed with rehabbing SFH.

Thanks,

Dave

I am looking for a referral for a good listing agent in Redding, CA. I need someone who has a strong handle on current values and is investor friendly. Any help would be great.

Thanks,

Dave

Dale and Phillip,

Thank you for the kind words! It looks like I have found a deal to piggyback, so I'm very excited! Hopefully, I'll be doing my own project soon.

Dave

I have been interested in real estate ever since I started looking to get out of the renter's world and into home ownership. Even after buying my house, I continued looking at MLS both for the "dream house" and for "project houses" to rehab and sell or rent.

It wasn't until a co-worker of mine started talking about rehabbing houses that I began taking a serious look at whether this was a worthwhile venture for me and my family. I've since convinced that co-worker (who is now a good friend) to be my mentor and have attended my first local Real Estate Investors meeting. The next step is to read all of the articles and forum posts I can off of this website and read as many books as I can get my hands on. Also, I'm hoping to "piggyback" off of an experienced rehabber's deal from start to finish and get a good feel for all of the things the books don't tell you.

I hope to chronicle my experience and have some of the experts here weigh in on my journey. Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Dave