All Forum Posts by: Elizabeth V.

I'm the inverse! I want to buy something, but am having a hard time finding deals. Too bad you're not in Georgia!

Good luck!

Wow! This is an incredibly awkward space! I'd need more information to make useful suggestions. For example:

Would you want this to pass as a higher-end bathroom, or are you looking for more of a simple, down-and-dirty improvement over the current layout? 

Is this attached to a bedroom, or is this a "house" bathroom? You could possibly get a higher return on your investment by making a full bath attach to a bedroom, and have a powder room accessed through the house. 

Would you benefit from adding a closet/storage to the space? 

Are you willing to move the plumbing? 

Would you be able to re-configure the windows? If the windows aren't facing the front of the house, you might be able to get away with re-configuring them, because the window placement as it is now is extremely limiting. 

Of course, getting rid of that heavy wall paper and ick carpeting are going to be a huge improvement. 

Another thing to consider: really think if your health can take the toll of working those long hours consistently. Usually having long, stressful days is not sustainable for more than a few weeks. There are studies that show that productivity goes *down* with long hours, and people are far more productive when they have more reasonable hours. I'd be suspicious of any boss that didn't didn't understand this.

Welcome Josh! I'm in the Athens area, and have one house in Atlanta. Sounds like you're quite the savvy investor!

Thanks for this post. I'm in Georgia and set up an LLC for a non-real estate business, and can attest that it is SUPER easy to set up yourself, particularly if you are the sole shareholder. Generally speaking you really need an attorney to set up an LLC for you if you have partners. And in that case, think of creating an LLC as a business marriage. There is a lot to think through (decision making, profit sharing, what will happen when someone wants to exit, etc.).

Welcome Zack! 

I got married at the Hay House in Macon :) It seems like a nice area. 

Yikes! Can you keep us updated on this? We definitely could learn from your unfortunate experience.

Hi @Carla Crutcher ! 

I live in the Athens area, and I can attest that the market is really saturated when it comes to rentals geared towards undergrads. Even though there is plenty of housing (my husband rented an apartment that was in a mostly empty complex while we were house hunting), the area on Oak Street before Broad is turning into "luxury" apartments with rooftop pools! Another "older" (as in maybe 10 years old) apartment building is selling off units as condos, and I think it's because they're having a hard time finding renters. It seems like (and be mindful I'm no expert) students are attracted only to shiny, new "luxury" places. There are also lots of parents that will buy a condo for their kid to use while they're attending school. 

We have an investment condo in Athens, but bought in an area that seemed like it would attract long-term renters. 

I'll offer a counter-point to the property manager's posts. I was interested in hiring a property manager so I could be hands-off when we became reluctant landlords (after the housing bubble we needed to move, but would have lost more money that we were comfortable with if we had sold our house). The rental was NOT going to be cash positive, so it was a matter of how much money we would lose on it ever month. I called several property management companies, and found out that they'd basically call me anytime there needed to be a repair, and send me a bill. We happened to get excellent tenants, and anytime they'd call needing a repair, we would send a handyman or repair person. Finding great tenants was step one. After that, managing the property myself meant that we lost a lot less money on the property.