All Forum Posts by: Elise Bickel Tauber
Elise Bickel Tauber has started 8 posts and replied 344 times.
Post: Out of market traveling vs local market super low cash on cash return
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
Hey Craig,
My team and I have specialized in helping out of state and out of country investors purchase investment properties (rentals and flips) for the last 2 decades. The honest answer to this question is "it all depends on your personality." If you are someone who wants to build a team and fully trust and rely on your team to help guide you and take the reigns then doing something out of state (like in Pittsburgh) is a great option. Your team should be able to help you find a property, repair/renovate as needed, lease and manage. They should be transparent with photo/video updates, clear communication, and be willing to work with you. If you are someone who has a hard time letting go or wants to be involved in every single step, doing something that is more then a couple hour drive doesn't make sense. You may have a problem trusting your team, even when they have proved themselves, and if you decide to visit your investments a couple times a year, you could find yourself using all your profits on trips to another state.
Either way, investing is a gamble. You decide how high or low risk you want to make it and enjoy the process. Hope this helps!
Post: Bought first three duplexes this year, not sure where to go from here
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
Quote from @Ryan Tongue:
Hi all,
I'm 23, bought my first three duplexes last fall (in a partnership, not the sole owner). I was in college at the time of investment and didn't have the bandwidth to take on a renovation, so all three properties were relatively straight forward: 20% down fixed 30-year, place a tenant, wait.
My biggest takeaway from the experience is that we tied up a lot of capital for very little cash flow -- essentially, I don't feel that I put myself in a position to scale. I'd like for my next investment to be made with some sort of exit plan to recycle and reuse the capital put into it. I'd lean towards a BRRRR, but I certainly won't have enough capital to make a cash purchase for a while.
Where should I go next? Should I be looking at apartment complexes for better cash flow? Some sort of flip? I appreciate that it takes time to build passive income in real-estate, but I'm hoping there's a smarter way to go about it than saving up $50K to dump into a property that cash flows a few hundred a month.
Would appreciate any advice regarding the direction I should go next. Another thing that might be an important factor is that I'm confident I could raise about $0.5mil in cash if I did want to bring on other investors who've expressed interest.
Thank you,
Ryan
This is one of the most common questions that I get from my investors who are looking to scale. I have investors looking to purchase 3-5 new properties a month but do not have (or want to spend maybe) the cash to be doing 20% down deals. I have gotten really creative with some deals. Everything from Owner financed deals where we've closed with as little as $3k down to sellers assist deals to all kind of neat things. Just had a deal I closed in February where my client was able to get creative with their lender and put down $4500 on a triplex that was a $180k purchase.
If you don't want to get creative , brrrs are the way to go 100%. Most of the hard money lenders and private lenders will do this with 10% down on the purchase and will cover 100% of the renovation costs. Be aware that these deals are great but you will pay a lot in interest and fees. But could be a great way to scale a bit faster with less cash down. You would re-fi out of these and, if done right, would get all your money back you put in and go onto your next one.
Let me know if I can be of any help at all!
Post: Out of state investing
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
Hey @Steven Le
Welcome to investing in Pittsburgh. You've got some solid repliers here that can help you along your journey. I'm a real estate broker and investor myself if you ever need anything. @Jeremy Taggart is fantastic to work with as I see you were already speaking to someone about him. He won't steer you wrong!
Post: Joined BIggerPockets to start a real estate rental investment portfolio
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
Hello Benny!
Welcome to the investing in Pittsburgh. Ask questions as they come up. I've been in the business for over 20 years and I'm still running into new things here and there. Biggest tip I can give you is to remember that if it was easy and predictable then everyone would do it. You want to put yourself in a position where you limit your risk but things will happen. Best of luck and don't hesitate to reach out to all of us with the things you run into!
Post: Reasonable Vinyl Siding Contractor Needed
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
Hey Craig. We have really enjoyed working with Linc Roofing for siding (and roofs). Give them a ring. 814-475-1877
Post: New Investor in Real Estate – Eager to Learn, Connect, and Grow!
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
Quote from @Kumar Sadu:
Hi BiggerPockets Community,
I'm Vinod Kumar, a recent entrant into the world of real estate investing. I’ve taken my first steps by purchasing two properties and am now looking to expand my portfolio with smart, strategic moves.
I’m joining this platform to connect with like-minded investors, especially locals or anyone open to sharing insights, strategies, or just having good real estate conversations. I believe in learning from others’ experiences and sharing mine along the way as I grow.
Whether you’re seasoned or just getting started, I’d love to connect. Open to partnerships, meetups, or even just casual chats about what’s working for you.
Looking forward to learning and growing with all of you!
Cheers,
Vinod
Hello Vinod! Welcome to investing in Pittsburgh! Would love to help in anyway I can. I'm an investor myself and also a real estate broker. Love getting creative on deals.
Post: Duplex - subject to
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
I've done a ton of subject to deals in Pittsburgh. We use Scolieri Beam Law Group to write up the paperwork and handle closing. It is worth every penny. I agree though, you don't want to overpay for a property hoping that in a few years the property will appreciate to what you bought it for. Not a good deal. The benefit to the owner is that you are handling taxes and maintenance and any headaches with the property while having the steady income of your mortgage payment. They should be getting interest in the monthly payments. My clients are usually at or slightly above the current interest rates to make it attractive with a balloon payment in 5 years.
Try to keep your cash into the down at 10% or less if possible. I promise the headaches will start as soon as you close and having the cash on hand will be helpful.
I'd be happy to discuss any other questions you have to try to help you along!
Post: Is it a Buyer's Market in your niche/town?
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
From my perspective, Pittsburgh is still a pretty strong sellers market. I've been telling clients recently, we have an inventory problem currently so if you put a solid property on the market at the right price, it's going to have multiple offers and fly off of the market. A bad property or over pricing it, it will sit and sit and sit. For buyers, I have a ton that are sitting waiting for a decent property or two to hit the market and the inventory is just not there. I don't expect, at least in our metro, for it to be a buyers market anytime soon. The demand is just too strong!
But with that being said, you can still get a good deal in Pittsburgh, just need to wait and weed through it!
Post: What advice can you share for a beginner exploring both local and out-of-state
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
Quote from @Jeremy Taggart:
Quote from @Ying Tang:
Hello everyone,
I’m excited to join BiggerPockets as a new investor and realtor based in Phoenix, Arizona. Currently, I own two single-family homes:
1. My primary residence, purchased in 2018 for $550K, is now valued at approximately $900K.
2. A recently renovated property bought in 2023 for $440K with 25% down is managed by a friend’s company. They rent out individual rooms, enabling us to charge slightly above market rates. Despite higher maintenance costs and elevated interest rates, the property generates enough income to cover the mortgage plus an extra $200 in positive cash flow.
Each year, my husband and I save between $80K and $200K for further investments, depending on his annual performance. I also recently obtained my Arizona real estate salesperson license to reduce transaction costs. While I'm actively seeking BRRRR opportunities in Phoenix, generating positive cash flow has proven challenging under current conditions, and price appreciation appears to have slowed.
In addition, I’m exploring investment opportunities out of state, though navigating unfamiliar markets is proving to be even more challenging. I welcome any suggestions, advice, or insights you might have regarding investments both locally and beyond. Thanks in advance for your input!
I always tend to prefer local if you can since you have an unfair advantage especially if you are an agent working in the market. You know the market like the back of your hand after you work in it long enough and opportunities will naturally pop up. If your market is too expensive though for your goals or you want to diversify I can speak on out of state since that's primarily what my team does here in the Pittsburgh area.
The main thing is making sure you are working with the right people. This is arguably more important than the market or property type you pick. I have seen too many get burned working with people that aren't honest and are just trying to make a quick buck.
Also once you find people you can trust and know the market inside and out listen to their advice instead of straying from it. If you do well then the team you are working with will also do well because it will be a long term win win relationship.
Also having realistic expectations. If you are buying say an early 1900s build multi family in a lower income C-D class neighborhood and relying on third party property management from across the country it isn't just going to be mailbox money, despite what some may think. Especially the first year or two after purchasing the property until the kinks get worked out and the property is stabilized/running smoothly.
I agree with what Jeremy said, however, let me make a few caveats here.
First, I've seen a lot of investors get their license to save money but are only doing their own transactions and don't take the time to learn what they are doing properly so they end up messing up paperwork, missing deadlines (which has caused them to loose handmoney) and make offers that were not financially sound. Just having a license doesn't mean you know what you are doing. You need to really commit to learning the market like a full time agent would. At least for the area and niche you are working. Markets can change pretty quickly and without knowing what is happening in real time you can make choices that aren't as smart as if you were more in tune.
I will 100% agree with making sure you find people you know and trust in the market you are in. For me as an investor and agent that is more then just a great property management company and contractor, that includes speciality contracts (hvac, electricians, plumbers etc) and also other great agents (@Jeremy Taggart is one I absolutely know and trust for example!) When you are looking for good deals, sometimes these agents will have something off market they can share your way and when you are stuck and need a second opinion or value or why something isn't selling/renting you can always reach out for another pair of eyes!
One last thought, no matter how many times you run the numbers or how bulletproof you try to make your investment strategy, know that real estate investing isn't a guaranteed investment solution. 1 bad tenant, 1 market shift, 1 change can take out your profit...but if you troubleshoot your problems, hold tight, and play the long game, in the end, you will end up a winner!
Post: City Ordinance for Rentals
- Real Estate Agent
- Cranberry Twp
- Posts 369
- Votes 195
The Greater Pittsburgh Area has had rental registrations and/or occupancy permit requirements in a lot of the surrounding towns for years. The city itself adopted this in 2025. The fees are running around $100-$150 in total (depending on the area) for the registration and occupancy, but that itself isn't the expense. It is the potential repairs and re-inspection fees that can add up. The list given is inconclusive typically and depending on your inspector they can request you to do updates that are beyond safety standards. In general the repairs haven't been too bad but with it being a new process it can be a pain in the butt.