All Forum Posts by: Jennifer Soelberg

To the best of my knowledge, the only case I can think of when a tenant can hire a 3rd party to repair something is if it is a danger (water/gas leak etc) and the landlord does not respond within 24 or 48 hours (which I think depends on the state). In that case, they can hire someone to fix it and then send you the bill.

@Trey Bailey Yeah, Mark is right. It is hard to know without more information. House hacking is always a great way to get into real estate. Not knowing what your goals are, I would also look into getting into some kind of partnership/mentorship. At least get plugged into the local real estate group(s) so that you can get knowledge and experience. If you are hesitant to buy a deal of your own, there are a lot of seasoned investors out there who would love to partner up on a deal if you have something to bring to the table (the deal itself, time, money). Like Brandon always says, 50% of a good deal is better than 0% of no deal. 

But, if you are interested in investing in the future, I would highly suggest focusing on educating yourself as much as you can. There are so many resources. I personally really enjoy listening to the BP podcast, there's always something new to learn.

I hope this was helpful.

@Jennifer Sleider I agree with the self-lock door. 

For future tenants maybe talk to your lawyer about adding a clause into your lease agreement that specifies that they must leave the unit secure at all times. That way you are at least not liable if something is stolen. I have not dealt with a situation like this, so I am just spit-balling some ideas, I hope its helpful.

Seeing if there would be enough interest to start a casual lunch/coffee/bar meet up? No one would be selling or marketing anything. I am a student at CWU and can never make it to the meet ups in Yakima, but I would love to get involved in a group to learn and build connections with other real estate enthusiasts! Anyone in the Kittitas, Ellensburg, Cle Elum area that would be interested? 

Hi Christopher, welcome to BP! Yakima is a great place to invest. I grew up here, and my father and I are active investors in the valley. I wish you luck on your journey!

@Amra Mujakic Which state are you in? I am in Washington and I went through Rockwell (online). I really enjoyed it and they have great study material for the real estate exam. 

@Sean Middleton I also went through Rockwell. They have great resources for studying for the actual real estate exam.

We just got our offer accepted on an SFH yesterday, and I wanted to go around the neighborhood and meet some of the neighbors during the due diligence period. I haven't done this in the past, but I would like to start doing it from now on. Do you have specific questions you normally ask when introducing yourself to neighbors? My plan right now is to just introduce myself, ask how long they've been in the neighborhood and if they know anything about the property, and give them my card in case they know anyone who might want to buy it or if they see anything fishy going on.

Thanks in advance!

@William Carr sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday. In that case, I think a hard money or private lender would be a good route. We have formed a great relationship with a private lender and it has definitely paid off, even to the point where they are willing to give us longer term financing at a lower rate as well. Do you have much equity in the home you are living in? If you have a good amount, you could talk to your bank about getting a HELOC which would be helpful if you don't have money for the rehab.

@Joseph Pietrzak that is definitely a question for the county you are in. In my county, the process is long and tedious for splitting/subdividing lots. What we have done in the past, is purchase the property as if we were not able to subdivide and make sure the numbers still work in that scenario. We think of the subdivision as a bonus, we don't base the entire investment on it. So, if we can subdivide its great, but if we end up not being able to, the numbers still work.