All Forum Posts by: Elena C.

Hi, I am trying to figure out what are the best research questions to ask to figure out what zip code are good to invest in. I am talking about questions like, what industrial developments are happening where. I tried a few questions on google but couldn't find anything i could use to guide me on where to invest. Wonder what more other investors do to research the market and figure out where to invest. 

Thanks,

Elena

Hi dear investors,

I am looking to network with lenders and investors who are into condohotel in Waikiki, Oahu. My husband family have lived in Oahu for several generations now. We are a military family currently stationed in Boston where we currently invest. My husband is soon to separate from the Air Force and we are planning to create a lifestyle where we could work remote from anywhere. We want our kids to be able to be close to our families, so ideally, we visit Oahu a few months every year.

I spoke with a few realtors and it seems like the best investment would be the condo hotel as they are legal Airbnb/STR. I am also willing to do MTR.

We want to connect with investors who bought condohotel and learn about their experience and if they are good investments.

We are currently in Honolulu, Oahu. Could grab a coffee if anyone is here to connect :)

Thanks,

Elena

 will love to learn more about your experience so far!

 thanks!

Hi all,
i want to buy a second home in NH, ME or VT and would like to connect with RE investors and property managers in these states. 

I know NH is going through some harsh time with STR regulations and banning. I currently live in Boston and we go up to NH pretty often. Would love to buy a property for personal use and also STR as well.

If you currently invest or manage strs in any of these states, I would love to connect and learn which counties are safer or have less strict str regulations.

Thanks

Hi all,

My husband and I bought our first duplex a year ago. We currently rent one unit to tenant and live in the second one with a bunch of roommates. Rent is okay, it can cover a lot of our expenses. If we move out, we will potentially be able to cash flow positive.

Now, we want to move on to our second deal. This time around, we don't want to live with roommates anymore. Just want a nice house to start a family. What kind of criteria should I look for in a SFH to justify it financially? What kind of exit strategy should we think of? Since there won't be rent, it will mainly be a liability, draining money out of our pocket. Would love to hear your thoughts. We currently work in Boston.

TIA

Thanks!

Hi, would like to get a few referrals for accountant to help with taxes with extensive knowledge on what can be deducted or depreciated when househacking.

We bought our first duplex this past May and have been living in one unit with roommates and renting the other one out to tenants we inherited from the sale. 

We have done a few repairs and bought a bunch of furniture and tools. Furniture is shared between us (homeowner) and roommates. Since it is a bit complicated with househacking, i am not completely sure what can be deducted and what can be depreciated. So far, I think we will be over the standard deduction.

Hi @Todd Wheatley, 

Thank you for your feedback. Just to give an update, I have decided to keep my tenant rent below market rate with a one year lease and have Mass Save do the insulation for free around the house. Hopefully, this will help lower utilities in the long run. I am planning to deduct the utilities via Schedule E together with the mortgage interest and insurance and other repairs I did last year. 

The reason why I am not going to proceed with eviction is because I spoke with an attorney and it seems like a 50/50 chance I will be paying over $10k to get them evicted. Which would not make sense since they are paying me on time just not what I initially calculated. I am making peace with myself already lol. 

Hi All,

I am wondering if anyone has used Mass Save for a rental property. We bought a duplex a few months ago and we are living in one unit and renting the other. We inherited the tenant and they are currently paying $500 below market rate. It seems like they are under a discounted rate with Eversource, so we qualify for energy assessment through the fuel assistance program. They just send us an agreement stating that we must not raise rent after the energy audit. More specifically:

"The present rent of $_____ per ____ for the Premises will never be raised because of any increase in the value of the Premises due solely to the energy efficiency work performed under this Agreement.

"The present rent of $____ per ____ for the Premises will not be raised for any Tenant of the Premises for one (1) year after completion of weatherization work performed under this agreement and for two (2) years after completion of any heating system replacement work, both completion dates as certified by ABCD.

I have tried for the last few months to raise my tenant's rent to market rate, but they are just way below and wont pay. They said they will move out when they find a new apartment. I dont think they are actively looking at all. I doubt they could find anything better than they are currently paying since the previous owner of our house did not raise their rent for the past 15 years!

I dont want to lock myself into an agreement that will basically make them stay for another year or two.

The issue is that I am paying for most of the utilities in this house (including the tenant's heating because it is one single heating system). This house is old and extremely inefficient. We paid $250/month in electricity alone. Another $200 in water because we had lead pipe changed to copper and financed it with 0% interest for the next few years. Heating is oil, so that is another $3000-5000 annual expense for oil alone. Gas is about $50-70.

I want to get this house insulated without paying much. Any advice?