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All Forum Posts by: Dominic Mazzarella

Dominic Mazzarella has started 7 posts and replied 221 times.

Post: Louisiana MHP w/ seller financing

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @William Murden:

Looking at a 30 pad park around the Lafayette area of Louisiana, looking for this to be long term. How would I structure new homes coming in to park for lot rent. Would I buy 5 pr 6 at a time and do a lease to own? Should I meter water individually? And help and insight would be great.



For something like this, I'd say start slow, bringing in one or two homes at a time to test demand before committing to five or six. Even in strong markets, it can take time to fill spots, and you don't want to be sitting on empty units. As for water, separate meters are definitely the way to go. It keeps things fair and saves you from dealing with disputes over usage. Also, billing back water is one of the quickest ways to boost NOI.

Post: Tenant Wants to Add Fiancee Coming Out of Prison

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @Aya I.:

We have a long-term rental home with a tenant (a woman with minor kids) who has been renting since last September. She passed our background check (mid-600 credit score, no late rent history, verified income) and had been paying on time with occasional late payment. 

Now, she reached out to let us know that her fiancé is getting out of prison and she wants him to live with her. We’re trying to handle this properly and fairly while also protecting ourselves as landlords.

Our current plan is:

  1. Clarify whether he will be a full-time occupant or just visiting. If he will be living there full-time and contributing to rent, we plan to require a full background check and update the lease to add him as a co-tenant.
  2. If he won’t be financially responsible but will be staying there, we plan to request his basic info (name, SSN, etc.) for record-keeping.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? Any advice on what to consider before moving forward? We want to be fair while ensuring our property and rental agreement remain secure.

Thanks in advance for any insights!


If he’s moving in full-time, a background check and updating the lease make sens.

If he’s staying long-term but not on the lease, having his info on file is smart, and it’s worth setting clear expectations on guests vs. residents. You might also want to check local laws to be sure you’re covered. What state are you in? 

Post: Schedule E for House Hacking 4-Plex

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @Alex Christie:

I've searched with no luck finding the answer to what must be a common situation:

Say I have a 4-Plex, each unit with 2br/1.5ba. I rent three units and owner-occupy 1 bedroom of one unit while renting out the other, what would my schedule E look like? Is that 4 rental units with one being smaller than the others because it does not include my personal residence space? How would I divide the unit I live in between myself and the roommate for tax purposes?

For tax purposes, you’d report the three fully rented units on Schedule E as rental income and expenses. For the unit you live in, only the portion you rent out (the one bedroom) would go on Schedule E, while the part you personally occupy is considered your primary residence.

To divide expenses, you’d typically prorate based on square footage or another reasonable method. For example, if the rented bedroom is 50% of your unit, then 50% of that units expenses (like utilities, mortgage interest, and maintenance) could be allocated to rental expenses. I believe the rest would fall under personal expenses.

Post: Opening bank accounts with Series llc

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @Karen Kwak:

Great thank you! 


No problem. And good luck. I know how much of a pain it can be navigating these arbitrary bank rules. 

Post: Opening bank accounts with Series llc

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @Karen Kwak:

I just purchsed a property under series llc. And I'm having a hard time opening a bank account under the series llc. Does anyone know which bank allows you to open a bank account with series llc? 


I think the Bank of Texas allows series LLC. A lot of the major banks don't allow it or have restrictions. If you use BoFA, it depends on the branch you go to. Most credit unions should allow you to open an account with the series LLC too. But since you're in texas, I'd start with Bank of Texas.

Quote from @Vincent Pflieger:

Hey everyone,

I'll keep this short and would love to hear from investors who have successfully leveraged a HELOC to scale their real estate portfolio for both short-term cash flow and long-term wealth building.

I’m about to unlock $200-250K in HELOC from my primary residence (a condo in NYC), and I know there’s a powerful strategy I can implement.

My current plan:

✅ Acquire a 10-15 unit multifamily in a mid-sized market (AL, TN, OH, etc.), targeting a $700-800K deal with value-add potential.

✅ Use 20% from my HELOC for the down payment and finance the rest with hard money.

Force appreciation over 6 months, then refinance into a DSCR loan to pay off the HELOC.

Rinse and repeat!

Has anyone executed a similar strategy?

What challenges did you face, and what lessons did you learn?

Would love to hear about pitfalls, lender restrictions, and any alternative approaches you’d recommend.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!


A lot of investors use this strategy, but there are a few things to watch out for. Some lenders don't allow HELOC funds for down payments, so check with your hard money and DSCR loan providers first. Also, HELOC rates are variable, so rising rates could increase your costs.

The biggest challenge is timing. Some lenders require a longer seasoning period before allowing a cash-out refi. If the market shifts, you’ll want a backup plan in case refinancing takes longer than expected.

That said, if you’re targeting the right value-add deals and have contingencies in place, this approach can work really well.

Post: [Calc Review] Help me analyze this deal

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @Jamir McClinton:

OFF-MARKET LAND FLIP 

View report

*This link comes directly from our calculators, based on information input by the member who posted.


I just want to know if my analysis is accurate or if I’m way off. I’ve already contacted the seller and just need a buyer who is interested in this to close with me( I’m a wholesaler). Also, the property itself is also worth 1.4-2.03 million as is with no house built on it.

To determine a realistic and justifiable ARV for this property with a 4,000 sq. ft. luxury home, I analyzed comparable sales close by in Jamestown, RI, focusing on price per square foot and property characteristics.

Step 1: Identifying Comparable Sales

I selected six high-end waterfront properties in Jamestown that share similar lot sizes, locations, and luxury build quality. The price per square foot ranged from $791/sq. ft. to $1,500/sq. ft., with most high-end waterfront homes selling between $1,200–$1,500/sq. ft.

Comparable PropertySale PriceSize (Sq. Ft.)Price per Sq. Ft.
556 E Shore Rd$5M3,900 sq. ft.$1,282/sq. ft.
5 Auidneck Ct$3.09M3,200 sq. ft.$965/sq. ft.
30 Battery Ln$2.53M3,200 sq. ft.$791/sq. ft.
597 Beavertail Rd$7.82M5,300 sq. ft.$1,475/sq. ft.
541 Seaside Dr$4.2M3,400 sq. ft.$1,235/sq. ft.
4 Dewey Ln$4.05M2,700 sq. ft.$1,500/sq. ft.
Step 2: Adjusting for Size

Since the planned home at 245 Seaside Dr will be 4,000 sq. ft., I used an estimated price per square foot within the market range:

  • Conservative: $1,200/sq. ft. → $4.8M ARV
  • Moderate: $1,350/sq. ft. → $5.4M ARV
  • High-End: $1,500/sq. ft. → $6.0M ARV
  • Premium Luxury (based on 4 Dewey Ln & 597 Beavertail Rd): $7.1M

Since 245 Seaside Dr is a prime location and waterfront lots in Jamestown have high demand, I conservatively estimate $1,500/sq. ft., leading to an ARV of:

4,000 sq. ft. × $1,500/sq. ft. = $6.0M – $7.1M

Step 3: Justification of ARV at $7.1M

  • Waterfront Location: High demand for oceanfront properties in Jamestown.
  • Luxury Market Trends: High-end buyers are paying $1,200 – $1,500 per sq. ft. for new construction.
  • Comparable Sales Support: 4 Dewey Ln and 597 Beavertail Rd confirm the $1,500/sq. ft. estimate is realistic.
  • Low Inventory: Waterfront lots in Jamestown are scarce, increasing property value.

Your ARV analysis looks pretty solid based on the comps you've used. The price per square foot range makes sense given the high-end waterfront market, and you've done a good job breaking it down into conservative, moderate, and premium projections. The $1,500/sq. ft. estimate seems reasonable since 4 Dewey Ln and 597 Beavertail Rd support that pricing.

One thing to consider is whether any of the comps had unique features or lot premiums that could push their price per square foot higher than what your property might command. If 4 Dewey and 597 Beavertail had extra land, deep-water docks, or other luxury amenities, those factors could slightly inflate their value compared to your build.

Since you’re wholesaling, the key will be making sure your buyer sees the same potential. If the raw land is worth $1.4M–$2.03M as you mentioned, you’ll want to make sure there’s enough spread for an investor to feel comfortable, especially if they’ll need to front construction costs. If you’re locking it up at the lower end of that land value range, you might have a solid deal here.

Post: One gas meter

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @Tony Maldonado:

Hi guys I’m looking at buying a quad with only 1 gas meter. It has a boiler system so I don’t think it’s worth it to purchase 3 more to have them separately metered. Does anyone have any advice with dealing with this type of situation. Any help would be much appreciated.


Yeah, with a boiler system, adding separate meters can get expensive and may not be worth it. A common approach is to include heat in the rent and adjust pricing accordingly. Another option is setting a utility charge per unit based on square footage or occupancy. Just be sure to check local laws on utility billing in Michigan before implementing anything, because this may not even be an option. Have you looked into what similar rentals in your area do?"

Post: I need help

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @Diandre Pierce:

I have 6 rentals all cash flowing and a primary house appraised at 1 million that I paid 600k for. I bought all these houses using a method in which I utilized life changing events to buy new primary houses where I put 5 percent down so don’t have much equity. My uncle is trying to sell me a mobile home park for 500 k that profits 84 percent . I need help getting the financing and I’m not sure where to go from here 


I’ve been owning mobile home parks for almost 8 years and I’ve never seen a single one with a 16% expense ratio, if that’s what your numbers suggest. Even with public utilities where tenants pay everything, that just doesn’t make sense. 

Post: To self manage or hire a PM...that is the question

Dominic MazzarellaPosted
  • Investor
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Posts 231
  • Votes 154
Quote from @Matt McCurdy:

@Kayla Elliott it is a great question and it's something that each investor has to decide on their own and their circumstance.  What I see most often is property managers get paid a % of the rental revenue.  I believe this model is archaic and motivates/unmotivates the wrong behaviors.  I'm not saying all PM's do this, but some do...What motivates you as a PM to go the extra mile for a property they are managing when they get a percent every month?  If they can do 1 hour or work 40 hours for the same pay why put in the 40 hours?

I've found the best way to ensure the work is truly getting done is to have a property manager in house that I can manage on a week-to-week basis.  By the sounds of your portfolio, you could really use a part-time manager.  This could be a virtual assistant or someone locally.  That's the best part, YOU get to decide.  If you hire a PM, THEY get to decide.

Good Luck!

 @Matt McCurdy great advice. This is what I do with my properties and I save a ton. I've used property managers in the past and was never impressed with the work. It ended up being both cheaper and more effective to do it in house with a part time manager/VA.

Now if I owned a big apartment complex or portfolio of them that would be very different.