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All Forum Posts by: Erik Nordgaard

Erik Nordgaard has started 13 posts and replied 21 times.

Post: What Do Midwest Appraisers Look For?

Erik Nordgaard
Pro Member
Posted
  • Investor
  • San Diego, CA
  • Posts 23
  • Votes 19

Good afternoon from San Diego, I am looking to BRRRR in Kansas City and am wondering what do appraisers look for when valuing a house in the midwest, specifically in Kansas City? Are things like location and walkability more important or do they emphasize square footage, bedroom and bathroom number, etc more? Thank you in advance.

Post: What Do Midwest Appraisers Look For?

Erik Nordgaard
Pro Member
Posted
  • Investor
  • San Diego, CA
  • Posts 23
  • Votes 19

Good afternoon from San Diego, I am looking to BRRRR in Kansas City and am wondering what do appraisers look for when valuing a house in the midwest, specifically in Kansas City? Are things like location and walkability more important or do they emphasize square footage, bedroom and bathroom number, etc more? Thank you in advance.

Post: My First Rental and Househack!

Erik Nordgaard
Pro Member
Posted
  • Investor
  • San Diego, CA
  • Posts 23
  • Votes 19

Investment Info:

Small multi-family (2-4 units) buy & hold investment in Norfolk.

Purchase price: $414,000

Acquired this property as a househack in September 2017 off the MLS. It's fourplex in a historic district in Norfolk, VA. I househacked to December of 2020. The property was built in 1908, and I learned why fixing every part of the property up in a BRRRR is such a great idea! I had to pay on average $250 a month in operating expenses to live in a 1000 sq. ft. 1 bed 1 bath. In December of 2020 I refinanced and rented my old unit out and am now cashflowing about $800 a month!

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

I've always wanted to find a good-;ong term investment strategy, and real estate was it.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

I found it on the MLS, was able to negotiate about 20k of the asking price.

How did you finance this deal?

0% down VA Loan

How did you add value to the deal?

A lot of exterior upgrades, replaced the roof, garden, walkway, etc. On the interior I've replaced windows, removed bad paint and fixed many of the small cosmetic issues that come with an older house.

What was the outcome?

It was tough at first but after moving out I am making $800 a month cashflow!

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Many many many. The bottom line is do your research and preparation thoroughly, and if you can't fix everything at once, have a plan to take care of it over time. Do not let maintenance issues sneak up on you. Seek them out and handle them before they become a crisis.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

My realtor was Jason Robinson of Norfolk, VA and I strongly recommend him.

Post: My First Rental and Househack!

Erik Nordgaard
Pro Member
Posted
  • Investor
  • San Diego, CA
  • Posts 23
  • Votes 19

Investment Info:

Small multi-family (2-4 units) buy & hold investment in Norfolk.

Purchase price: $414,000

Acquired this property as a househack in September 2017 off the MLS. It's fourplex in a historic district in Norfolk, VA. I househacked and self-managed it from purchase time to December of 2020. The property was built in 1908, and I learned first-hand why fixing every part of the property up in a BRRRR is such a great idea! It was close to a homerun househack, where I had to pay on average $250 a month in operating expenses to live in a 1000 sq. ft. 1 bed 1 bath. In December of 2020 I refinanced and rented my old unit out and am now cashflowing about $800 a month!

***The image of the property is older, I fixed up the walkway, garden and a lot of the exterior.

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

I've always wanted to find a good-;ong term investment strategy, and real estate was it.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

I found it on the MLS, was able to negotiate about 20k of the asking price.

How did you finance this deal?

0% down VA Loan

How did you add value to the deal?

A lot of exterior upgrades, replaced the roof, garden, walkway, etc. On the interior I've replaced windows, removed bad paint and fixed many of the small cosmetic issues that come with an older house.

What was the outcome?

It was tough at first but after moving out I am making $800 a month cashflow!

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Many many many. The bottom line is do your research and preparation thoroughly, and if you can't fix everything at once, have a plan to take care of it over time. Do not let maintenance issues sneak up on you. Seek them out and handle them before they become a crisis.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

My realtor was Jason Robinson of Norfolk, VA and I strongly recommend him.

Post: Most Reliable Sources for Market Data

Erik Nordgaard
Pro Member
Posted
  • Investor
  • San Diego, CA
  • Posts 23
  • Votes 19

@Charles Carillo

Thank you this is amazing! 

Post: Most Reliable Sources for Market Data

Erik Nordgaard
Pro Member
Posted
  • Investor
  • San Diego, CA
  • Posts 23
  • Votes 19

Good afternoon everyone! 

I've started screening several markets and am wondering what resources you all use for the most accurate data. I am sticking mostly to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Housing and Urban Development and Census information since I believe they come from a non-biased source. I've also looked at roofstock.com and bestplaces.com data, though it occasionally differs from BLS and Census info. Specifically, the job growth percentage in Kansas City, MO. The BLS website reports 6.9% growth (BLS link here) and Bestplaces reports 1.4% job market  growth (Bestplaces link here). I am using the requirements Steve Rosenberg laid out in the "how to invest in out of state real estate" video series on youtube. 

What resources do you all use? 

Are there resources that are better for different markets?

I am evaluating the following markets for a small multifamily property to possibly BRRRR:

  1. St. Louis, MO
  2. Kansas City, MO
  3. Memphis, TN
  4. Brownsville, TX 

    Thank you in advance everyone! 

    Post: House Hack or Invest OOS?

    Erik Nordgaard
    Pro Member
    Posted
    • Investor
    • San Diego, CA
    • Posts 23
    • Votes 19

    Just moved to San Diego in January...first off, welcome to the city. The weather and california burritos are incredible. Second, it will be next to impossible to find a cashflowing multifamily here in anything better than a D neighborhood. I've spoken with wholesalers in the area, a decrepit 2-4 unit in a decent area is at a minimum going for 400k before repairs. If you're dead set on it, look east of San Diego and in National City.  

    Post: Do you use a realtor when acquiring off MLS deals?

    Erik Nordgaard
    Pro Member
    Posted
    • Investor
    • San Diego, CA
    • Posts 23
    • Votes 19

    @Kevin Sobilo Awesome thank you, would an agent work both sides of the deal then? What costs should scale to the price of the purchase vice remain fixed? 

    Post: Do you use a realtor when acquiring off MLS deals?

    Erik Nordgaard
    Pro Member
    Posted
    • Investor
    • San Diego, CA
    • Posts 23
    • Votes 19

    Team, 

    Do you use a realtor when you buy an off MLS deal? Let's say I get a motivated seller via drive-for-dollars, do I use a realtor to actually arrange the purchase? Is there a name for that process I can use when speaking to realtors? I'm heading to AZ next week to drive-for-dollars and find my first BRRRR property. Thanks in advance!

    Post: How Many RE Investors are Engineers?

    Erik Nordgaard
    Pro Member
    Posted
    • Investor
    • San Diego, CA
    • Posts 23
    • Votes 19

    Have an electrical engineering degree and am looking to use it if I get out of the military.