All Forum Posts by: Grant D.

In some states, if you are looking for liability protection, getting a good umbrella policy can make more sense than forming an LLC.

I think the thing that contributed to my success the most has been the willingness to take calculated risks.  Everything in life is risky, but as long as you are confident enough and take risks that won't mean the end of the world if you fail, you leave yourself open to more potential success.

How does the POS process work for a property that is tenant occupied?  If I go into contract on the house, and the POS inspection is done, is there a time period after close that I have to become POS compliant?  Can I still collect rent in the interim?

The property is in Euclid, if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

@Ariel Smith - I think that is great advice...as I think simply getting an idea of what she expects it to go for would be extremely helpful

@Cara Lonsdale - I think your way of thinking is a lot more along the lines of what I have experienced in the past

@Tom Parris - I never thought she was doing anything wrong, and have been happy with the service thus far, I think I am just more used to a bit more direction, but I appreciate your feedback, and totally hear what you are saying.

@Liz Cole Yes, she is a buyers agent, and I get that she makes money on commission, so thinking she would want to give me advice to offer more money.  We have missed out on the last 2 places because our offers were beat out, so if she had been looking to make commission, she would have advised me to offer more.  Instead she offered no advice, so ended up making no commission.

 @Wayne Brooks I agree that the decision is ultimately mine, but I am paying a real estate agent to assist with the process, and basically be able to tell me what houses are actually going for in the market...all of my previous real estate agents have been able to advise if my offers were what they (based on in-market experience) thought would be competitive.

So, I am entering a new market, and put together a team on the ground...I then took a trip out there, and my real estate agent took me to see houses.  I thought she was great, organized, and well prepared to show me properties, and we ended up going into contract on a property.

I am now trying to buy more properties, and the problem I am having is that this agent seems to be uncomfortable recommending actual prices to me.  She will run comps, and then when I ask for advice, she basically tells me she doesn't ever give price advice as houses are worth whatever someone is willing to pay.

I feel like the point of an agent is to offer this guidance, and have never run into this with any other agent I have worked with.  I am happy with the rest of the process thus far...but curious of others thoughts?  If I decide to go with a different agent, do I need to tell her?  Is it bad to work with multiple agents at the same time?

@James Wise - Thanks for the response.  I have read a lot of your posts on here, and appreciate your model which provides a proven hands off approach to property management (and one that potentially would even be a good solution for me).  I tend to be a bit more hands on in my approach, and that has worked for me in other out of state markets, and changing my style is easier said than done.

I looked at your contract and was on board with 98% of it, but also read that you don't make changes to your contract (which is understandable based on the scale of your business).  I am going to start out with a company that is a bit more flexible, but who knows if I change my mind down the road.

Appreciate all the advice you give on here.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.  I am having them check the sewer line today for a different issue, so that may shed any light on if there is an issue there.

Does anyone have a good reference for a structural engineer?  The guy who came out before specialized in the roof only, so would think a next step would be to have a general structural engineer come out and look over the whole house.