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All Forum Posts by: James Toland

James Toland has started 7 posts and replied 10 times.

Post: Starting an LLC/Business Account Questions.

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8
Quote from @Nathan Gesner:
Quote from @James Toland:

You need two accounts: checking and savings. If the properties are split into more than one LLC, then each LLC will need its own accounts.

Checking: collect all income here, then use it to pay bills. Pay the mortgage. Pay for maintenance. If you are setting aside funds for capex, taxes, insurance, or other expenses that don't occur monthly, transfer those funds to Savings each month and hold them there until it's time to spend them. You will receive the security deposit in Checking but then transfer it to Savings.

Savings: Hold the deposit here so it's separate from operating funds. You can also hold money for maintenance, capex, taxes, insurance, or other projected expenses. When a tenant moves out, transfer the deposit back to Checking so it's ready to apply towards expenses or to refund to the Tenant.

If you end up with excess funds in the Checking account, I recommend you transfer it to a third account that is specifically designated for future investments. That ensures you don't spend it on other things and that you know exactly how much you have available to spend on the next purchase. If it's mixed in with your deposits and reserve funds, you may accidentally spend money you shouldn't have.


Thank you so much for the info sir this is all great! I do not have an LLC yet and the properties are all in my name. Does it make sense to open an LLC and transfer them to it or not have one at all and just have them in a separate business account?

Post: Starting an LLC/Business Account Questions.

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8

Hello Everyone, 

I currently own three properties under my name and have a separate checking account for each under my personal bank account. How do I best go about creating an LLC and moving the money in each account to a separate business account? I am planning on calling Navy Federal to open a business account for each property but should I open the LLC first? Should I open the bank account under the LLC's name even though the properties are in my name? Thank you for any suggestions and tips as I do not want to go about this the wrong way.

Post: Third Property and First House

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $529,000
Cash invested: $80,000

Found an 8-bedroom 3 bath house in Aurora Highlands that offered a VA assumption with an interest rate of 3.25 percent! The basement floor has 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a space for a small living room. The main floor has the master bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room, and a small living room. The top floor has 4 bedrooms, a nice sized living room, bathroom, a fully functioning library, and 2 offices attached to the library.

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

Initially, I wanted to use the rest of my VA entitlement for another property and then saw the 3.25% interest rate and the amount of house so I knew I could create a strong deal if I put in the time, money, and work.

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

I found it on Zillow as an assumable VA loan. We negotiated the purchase price from 550k down to 529k.

How did you finance this deal?

I financed this deal through my own personal money, liquidating both my stocks and mutual fund to help purchase it. I understand real estate a lot more than other passive income streams and was looking to pull out for a while and throw into another property.

How did you add value to the deal?

I plan on converting the basement into an autonomous apartment. It already has 3 bedrooms and a bathroom and just needs a kitchen to be complete. Since there is already a washer/dryer unit down there I will create a small room for them against the bathroom to save on plumbing and electrical costs and use a stackable washer and dryer. Currently working on adding the kitchenette and thankfully I already have people who want to rent out the space once it's completed early next year.

What was the outcome?

Still in work but I will be posting periodical updates!

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Assumptions are tough and the banks don't make it easier. Bug them to complete your transfer as much as you need too!

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

Megan Malone-Horn is great and I would highly recommend her to other investors!

Post: Third Property and First House

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $529,000
Cash invested: $80,000

Found an 8-bedroom 3 bath house in Aurora Highlands that offered a VA assumption with an interest rate of 3.25 percent! The basement floor has 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a space for a small living room. The main floor has the master bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room, and a small living room. The top floor has 4 bedrooms, a nice sized living room, bathroom, a fully functioning library, and 2 offices attached to the library.

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

Initially, I wanted to use the rest of my VA entitlement for another property and then saw the 3.25% interest rate and the amount of house so I knew I could create a strong deal if I put in the time, money, and work.

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

I found it on Zillow as an assumable VA loan. We negotiated the purchase price from 550k down to 529k.

How did you finance this deal?

I financed this deal through my own personal money, liquidating both my stocks and mutual fund to help purchase it. I understand real estate a lot more than other passive income streams and was looking to pull out for a while and throw into another property.

How did you add value to the deal?

I plan on converting the basement into an autonomous apartment. It already has 3 bedrooms and a bathroom and just needs a kitchen to be complete. Since there is already a washer/dryer unit down there I will create a small room for them against the bathroom to save on plumbing and electrical costs and use a stackable washer and dryer. Currently working on adding the kitchenette and thankfully I already have people who want to rent out the space once it's completed early next year.

What was the outcome?

Still in work but I will be posting periodical updates!

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Assumptions are tough and the banks don't make it easier. Bug them to complete your transfer as much as you need too!

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

Megan Malone-Horn is great and I would highly recommend her to other investors!

Post: Third Property and First House

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $529,000
Cash invested: $80,000

Found an 8-bedroom 3 bath house in Aurora Highlands that offered a VA assumption with an interest rate of 3.25 percent! Was stoked to find a deal like this and it was only 5 minutes from our current condo and in a nice residential neighborhood with a beautiful park and some nice restaurants all within a mile. the basement floor has 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a space for a small living room. The main floor has the master bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room, and a small living room. The top floor has 4 bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, a full library room, and two office rooms off of the library. My mortgage is only slightly higher than the condo while being triple the size, not including the two-car garage, with a large backyard and front yard. The house was built in 1978 so it is a bit older and not updated but as David Greene will say, in today's market you don't find the deal you make the deal. My plan is to redo the basement to being its fully autonomous unit. It already has 3 bedrooms and a bathroom so the base template is there. There is space for a nice-sized kitchenette which will include a fridge, an electric stovetop with an external vent above, two countertop sections, a nice-sized sink, cabinets, and a pantry underneath the stairs. going to then add a small separate room for the water heater and stackable laundry unit. I am working with my contractor to get it completed between January-February of next year and once done I will be able to rent it out for around 2000-2300$ which would cover a large chunk of the mortgage. The house was in pretty poor shape aesthetically when we got it as the previous owners did not seem to have any care for where they lived but I love this house already and my girlfriend and I are pouring a lot of time and love into this place to make into a beautiful home. If anyone is in the Denver area and would ever want to meet up to discuss property, rehabs, etc please let me know Id love to make it happen! Cheers to the BP community.

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

Initially, I wanted to use the rest of my VA entitlement for another property and then saw the 3.25% interest rate and the amount of house so I knew I could create a strong deal if I put in the time, money, and work.

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

I found it on Zillow as an assumable VA loan. We negotiated the purchase price from 550k down to 529k.

How did you finance this deal?

I financed this deal through my own personal money, liquidating both my stocks and mutual fund to help purchase it. I understand real estate a lot more than other passive income streams and was looking to pull out for a while and throw into another property.

How did you add value to the deal?

I plan on converting the basement into an autonomous apartment. It already has 3 bedrooms and a bathroom and just needs a kitchen to be complete. Since there are two washer/dryer units down there I will create a room for one of them against the bathroom to save on plumbing and electrical costs using a stackable washer and dryer. I will then get another stackable washer/dryer unit and create a room on the main floor, replacing a small storage closet next to the main floor bathroom.

What was the outcome?

Still in work but I will be posting periodical updates!

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

Megan Malone-Horn is great and I would highly recommend her to other investors!

Post: How to find tenants that are looking for a room to rent?

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8

I have had the best luck with Facebook marketplace too. If you present your place well in pictures and have a good description you should get a good amount of replies as people are always looking on there. I don't know if you just bought your house and are still in contact with your realtor but they can also be a great resource to help look for tenants. Good luck!

Post: Buying my second Condo.

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8

Investment Info:

Condo purchase starting out as a primary residence and moving to a buy and hold (for a few years)

Purchase price: $281,000
Cash invested: $17,000

3 bed 2 bath condo, 1200 sq ft

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

I was moving to Colorado and did not want to rent again. Found a condo in a decent area and decided to buy it.

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

I used Trulia to find my deal. The price started at 250k but I and another potential buyer bid up to 280K. I offered 281k and got accepted!

How did you finance this deal?

I used my VA loan so I only had to put 5% down.

How did you add value to the deal?

I replaced the kitchen countertops and sink, repainted every room, replaced handle fixtures in the kitchens and bathrooms, etc. A little bit of sweat equity can go a long way toward making a place look good!

What was the outcome?

I found another deal 7 months into moving in and decided to pursue it as my new primary residence. I posted my place on Facebook marketplace for rent and was surprised at how many people wanted to rent it out. I think I priced rent a bit low but I'm still coming out with 200$ cashflow to put towards any repairs and a rainy day fund specifically for the property.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

I learned never to buy a property with HOA again. My first condo and this one both have HOA and it's just money down the drain for those who hold the mortgage. I believe condos are a great stepping stone for new property investors because of the lower price point but now that I have seen what HOA can do to cash flow I will be staying away from them in the future and looking for single-family or multi-family without HOA. Hopefully, during the next few years, I can continue to upgrade the property to increase its value and then perform a 1031 into a better cash-flowing rental.

Post: Potential Cash Out Refinance

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8

Hello everyone, 

    I bought my first rental last year in Mesa AZ for 189,000 and since then its value has risen between 239k at the low end and 258k at the high end (still need to get an actual appraiser out there). I would like to pull out some of that equity to put down towards another rental and was wondering if any of you guys/gals had any advice on getting this accomplished. Thanks for the help1

Post: My First Rental (Bought while overseas)

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8
Quote from @Sarita Scherpereel:

Congratulations! A tough lesson to learn, but it's also really sound advice. Looking forward to see what you do next!


 Thanks so much! My next step is a cash-out refi for the next one and I cant wait!

Post: My First Rental (Bought while overseas)

James TolandPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Posts 13
  • Votes 8

Investment Info:

Condo buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $189,000
Cash invested: $50,000

2 Bedroom 2 Bath condo 15 min from Downtown Phoenix in Mesa Arizona.

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

I believe buying property is the best way to retire early

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

I just constantly searched different real estate websites until I found a good deal at a good price.

How did you finance this deal?

Saving 20% down

What was the outcome?

I was able to buy my first rental property at 23 years old

Lessons learned? Challenges?

I learned to vet every real estate agent and property manager. My first property manager/real estate agent was recommended by a trusted friend so I didn't do any vetting online (big regret). Long story short, 3 months into me owning the house with no tenants, I switched property managers and had a renter within 2 weeks moved in. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!!