All Forum Posts by: Brandon Krieg

Hi Jake,

I'll send you a private message.

@Justin Richards  Hi Justin,

I'm just up the way in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, and I'd be happy to meet up and share whatever knowledge I can bring.  It sounds like you're off to a great start already... nice work!

Hi @Corey Hajduk , thank you for your work overseas.  And I can certainly understand wanting to make a better life for your daughter... they are a joy!

If I were you, I would also check in to the local groups around you that meet in person.  I know Ann Arbor, Lansing, Canton, and several other places have quality in-person meetup groups.  I don't think I'm supposed to list them here (sounds too much like a promotion), but if you'd like to email me or send a message, I can forward them over.  I used to be a part of several of them when I lived on the east side of the state.  They can help you get on-the-ground help with finding these properties, and everything else you need... from contractors to inspectors to realtors.

Good luck!

Hi @Account Closed ,

If you're investing in areas you're not personally familiar with, my biggest piece of advice would be to find good people in those areas to work with.  It is extremely helpful to have reliable, on-the-ground advice wherever you're investing, and in my opinion, very little can replace it.

That being said, there are many great areas in Wisconsin and Michigan that can work (as well as in other states).  As in most areas, you have high-end and low-end properties in every state, so it's just a matter of where you focus your time.

Also, it might be good to look into the laws of each state, and figure out if they are 'landlord-friendly.'  A lot of places have very rough laws for landlords, so if you can avoid that headache from the beginning, it's probably worth it!

@Jake Kozul  Welcome!  This is a great area, and it's fantastic to see more people from West Michigan coming on to BP.  I'll send you a PM to get an easier chat going...

Hi @Emily B. , 

I might be a little closer, in the GR and Kalamazoo areas, but unfortunately I don't work in Grand Ledge much.  If anything, I would say ask the same question about Lansing, and see who works to Grand Ledge.  You might get more responses to your question that way...

@Aly W.  - A lot of the creative financing methods that I was mentioning come down to working directly with the sellers to find an agreement that makes sense.  So, my guess is there are plenty of sellers in South Florida that would be up for it!  

However, I don't know an institutional lender in that area that has all of those traits wrapped up in their loan.  Unfortunately, that's a bit out of my investing range, and I don't have as many contacts there.  Good luck!

@Austin Harris  Welcome to BP, and to the group of us West Michigan people on here!  It is a challenging, fun, stressful, and wonderful thing to leave your job and jump into real estate full time, and Bigger Pockets is a great place to get you to the next step.  It sounds like you've got a great start already... nice job!

There are some good groups for in-person networking around here as well (both in GR and Kalamazoo), and I recommend checking those out too.  And if anything, just keep learning and acting on your knowledge, and you will totally reach your goals.  Keep us posted on your progress!

Hi @Shane Davis - you're in a great spot, and you'll find a lot of opportunity here.  Good luck, and use the resources here on BP - there's a lot of good stuff here!

@Max Himmel Lots of good tips here. Also, I'd recommend the local REI clubs near you. They should really help you accelerate your learning process. I just moved away from Ann Arbor ~10 months ago, and there is a lot of potential there and in the surrounding areas. Good luck!