All Forum Posts by: Ken Holifield

The short answer to your question is no.  There are plenty of contractors, even good contractors here.  You should not experience any delays based on contractor availability from my experience.  Good luck!

Hello Anna,

We use Rentvine for rent collection.  It allows you to also collect daily late fees.  I'm pretty sure it's in the top three best property manager software options. It is a pretty robust program that's fully customizable. However, it depends how many properties you have if it's worth the cost. I think the lower end of cost is around $200/mo so clearly you would need to have several properties at a minimum to justify the cost.  Hope this helps.  Good luck! 

Jacksonville is your spot!  The last affordable large city left in FL.  And I saw an article last week that had Jacksonville climbing to, "...number two in the nation for hottest job markets according to a new analysis by the Wall Street Journal and Moody Analytics. Jacksonville has been improving in the ranks for three years running now, after coming in 5th in 2021 and 3rd in 2022."
Many people are still moving here and property values have continued to appreciate and are projected to continue rising in the future.  Let me know if I can help.  Good luck!

Yeah, most properties will rent within 3 months if they are decent and priced correctly.  Pricing correctly is the main key.  Many owners want to push rental prices and that's when they end up sitting on the market for a while.  Good luck!

I agree with Glen.  Second endorsement for HouseScan.  They are very thorough.  Good luck!

I agree with Minna.  I wouldn't think an appraiser would even get to $20k on it.  But somewhere around that range is a safe bet.

The "good deals" still go pretty fast.  You need to have all your ducks in a row and be able to pull the trigger fast if you see something.  I work with a lot of investors.  Reach out if I can help.  Good luck!

Great and very accurate video that Elenis posted for you.  I would just add that some of those lower priced, cash-flow areas will also come with more intensive management requirements.  Keep that in mind whether you're managing yourself or you hire a company to do it for you.  Good luck!

What is your plan for income/employment after you get out? I don't want to speak for the lenders in the group but I don't think you would qualify for another VA loan without income/W2/employment. I'm a retired military guy specializing on the investing side of RE and property management so I totally get your situation, been there and done that. Reach out anytime you're looking to chat.

Oh and Alana's comments are spot on, get out there and network at some of these meetups and you'll start to see doors open that you didn't even know existed.  Good luck!

Solid advice above from Wale!  Many people seem to gloss over the professional property management piece, don't make that mistake.  Jacksonville is a great place to invest.  I just saw a stat yesterday that it was recently named the 2nd hottest job market in the US.  Just like everywhere else, it's getting harder to find good deals that cash flow, but it can still be done.  It sounds like you both have educated yourselves properly, which is great hear!  Now it's time to pull the trigger.  Happy hunting and good luck!