All Forum Posts by: Eric Petersen

Provo, UT area, you can get a turn-key townhome for about $200,000, SFH, around $300,000. You can rent the townhome for about $1,000 to a family which will be about $300 cashflow with about 20% down.

SFH you can rent for about $1,400 - $1,800 with about the same amount of cashflow. Those are only numbers I've ran into researching, still haven't hit the big time yet with my own property! :P

Can you purchase the property straight up in cash? If that's the case, then you might be fine if the off-season lack of cash flow doesn't kill the cashflow you would be getting in the on season. Seems like a simple "I earn more when it's occupied than I lose when it's unoccupied" yearly scenario.

I love @Elizabeth Colegrove 's answer. 

Sometimes it comes down to the extra work that requires little extra money that is going to make the difference. It sounds like your market is hot, sometimes that is going to take a lot more time and patience to get what you want, but I'm sure if you play the game right and do not hastily jump into anything that you'll regret later, you'll be finding some nice properties.

How do you suggest you find an HOA that will be well controlled?

Not seasoned here, but I can share my 2 cents from what I've seen. The best places to invest are in the up and coming neighborhoods, or, if you will, the neighborhoods that have a great shot at growing. That way you can have a property that is going to appreciate a lot more than some other locations.

Getting into these kind of neighborhoods also will raise it's appeal with the kind of tenants you want (over time of course) because the neighborhoods is just going to get nicer and better as time goes on.

Hey everyone,

I'm freshly getting into this whole "buy and hold" strategy. My area in Provo, UT has a ton of Townhouses and Single Family Homes. These types of properties exist very close to two universities. I am single male and I see the advantage to buying my first place next to one of these universities and renting out the rooms to students. I would live in it for the first year as an occupying home owner.

I am curious as to everyone's opinions to the advantages and disadvantages to owning a townhouse vs a single family home.

Thanks!