All Forum Posts by: Brandon Krieg

@Jeff Gebhart Great goals!  Now that I have a daughter, neighborhoods seem more important than they used to.

We should meet up for coffee sometime.  Welcome to BP!

Welcome @Daniel Dick!  Grand Rapids is a great place, and there are a lot of great RE folks here.  Many of them are on BP as well.  In order to find the active people, make sure to set your keyword alerts.  They can let you know when people are talking about our area.

Have a great one!

@Ryan Kuja,

Nice job.  I hope everything comes back wonderfully!

For the time being, I am investing in areas that I can reasonably drive to, so I don't have a ton of advice there.  However, West Michigan can be a good market if you know your areas and sub-areas.  We discussed this property a bit, and I think it's in a good area.

I'm from here, and my 'tip of the day' for West Michigan is to know a few people in each field.  Know more than one handyman, more than one inspector, more than one appraiser, etcetera.  I've found that people can get very busy during their 'high times,' and it has been very helpful to have a lot of contacts around the area.

Other than that, welcome to Kalamazoo investing!

Hi @Ryan Kuja, 

You're right, there are a lot of opportunities.  However, you want to work with someone in the area who really knows it, not just someone who's going to send you 'THE BEST DEAL IN THE WORLD EVER OMG' every couple of months.  That's how you get stuck with a dud.

Like most cities, there are good and bad areas to live/invest in near Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.  I love the areas, in addition to Grand Rapids, but I live here and know them well.  I'd be happy to provide tips about what seems to work well for me.

I'll send a private message your way, and anyone who is following along in the thread can message me for similar info as well. (:

Hi @Rachel Dey,

Do you have a signed contract for a home, and a buyer?  Your paperwork will all need to be in order, and then you shouldn't have problems.  I've closed similar deals with several title companies in Grand Rapids/Kalamzoo without issue.  You will need:

1. Sale Contract
2. Assignment Contract
3. All necessary disclosures/additional forms

You can submit all of this to the title company, and explain that the end buyer (detailed in the assignment contract) will be purchasing the home.  Usually, the buyer actually will submit it, since they often choose the title company.  I have never needed to line up a specific title company in advance.

Feel free to call or email if you have more questions!

Hi Shawn,

I'll shoot you a couple of recommendations in a private message.  It sounds like you don't have a ton of time to research, so we'll cut to the chase a little bit.  There are a lot of good folks in Grand Rapids.  (:

@Samuel Coicou,

I'm not sure what you mean by 'insuring' the contract.  They only issue title insurance on the property, not on the contract.  So, once you have a seller, contract, assignment agreement, and buyer, they should be able to issue title insurance.  That insurance doesn't have anything to do with the contract... just the prior history of the house.  The contract is just a sales agreement.

@Samuel Coicou ,

I have utilized several different title companies for wholesale transactions, and they have never had an issue with it.  As long as your contracts and paperwork are solid (I highly recommend an attorney), you shouldn't need to go to a special title company.   I typically work with whatever title company the buyer or seller wants, depending on the situation.

I have yet to do a double close, so you may want to call the title company and clear that up in advance just to be safe.

@Samuel Coicou - 

@Jeff Rabinowitz nailed it.  That's exactly what I would have told you as well.

@Danielle Hammond,

You may want to consider looking at rentals closer in to Marquette as well.  I am unfamiliar with the market, but if you're looking to become an expert in a given area, I'd shoot for something with a little higher population.  That way, when you get rolling, you'll have more target sellers/renters.  Good luck, and keep learning always!