All Forum Posts by: Jennifer Jo McCallon

I am looking for an Airbnb property manager for Pittsburgh/Troy Hill if anyone knows someone and can PM me. We have a soon-to-be furnished 1br to rent out.

There is no reason for cash. You can Zelle, venmo, or provide money orders or a cashier's check. I did a lot of cash-only business in New York City, but anywhere else sounds suspish.

I love this question. We are all guilty of wasting money at some level, but is it guilt or is life to be enjoyed? I think the answer is somewhere in between. When I was saving to pay for graduate school and then a house- we had a tight budget, regular paychecks and not a lot of wiggle room. And while I wasn't organized enough yet for a budget, a simple plan was enough to squirrel away about $10 grand over the course of a year. First, I took out a set amount of money from the ATM every Monday. this was my "walking around money" for coffee, lunches, drinks. Set that to about $40. Not much, but what do I really need in a 5 day work week? Second, we only ate dinner out once a week OR got take out. ONCE. Sometimes we'd get lunch on Saturday. There are some more obvious ideas too- don't overspend on a car- get no more than you need, buy used but reliable. 

More tips:

Don't overspend on a rental apartment- get the cheapest place that suits your needs while your are saving to buy a house. 

Don't stress about buying status items, you don't need $150 shoes, and if you do, you only get one pair. 

Don't go on vacation and stay in a $450/night hotel when the budget place or a hostel will do just fine, but do enjoy a vacation, life is to be enjoyed.

DO: get a second job a couple days a week, doing whatever, near your home- make $200/wk- it fills time (which prevents spending), can be fun, and adds up to a lot after a year. 

And remember: If you save $27.40/day it adds up to $10,000/yr. That is a pretty easy thing to do. 

I have done zero coaching (except KW BOLD and KW in-office coaching as an agent), but I have read tons of books- Power of Habit, You Are a Badass, Millionaire Next Door, Psychology of Money and so many more.... and I have done very well in real estate- both as an agent and as an investor. Not everyone needs coaching, and not all coaches are worth it. 

What I'm hearing from this post is you want to know if you can make it without coaching? You can. 

You feel pressured to pay for coaching? Don't.

This question is very specific to your area. There are no permit police, and appraisers generally don't look up who got permits for what and where. I would ask a knowledgeable local realtor before spending money on a lawyer. Or- as others said- call the permit office with questions (don't give your address). Builders will often build up to code but without permits. 

Send them one of those long plastic hair remover things that cost about $1.79

Hey Sarah-- feel free to give me call. I am with KW in California. You should have a mentor & be taking classes- I teach Ignite, I mentor new agents. Not sure what is up with your office, but  you should not feel lost in the shuffle!

Oh man, if I had waited until I had $100k to invest I'd still be renting and driving my 2003 Toyota Matrix. No offense to Toyota Matrixes, it was a good car. It was that initial leap of faith in buying my first investment that built my business, when I had maybe $20k in the bank from working a second job for a year.

I agree with talking to an attorney- I use Alan Horowitz. There are many options in landlord tenant attorneys in Oakland. There is no rule of thumb in real estate pricing in Oakland. Most of us price below market to drive offers, but not everyone does. Your best bet is to find one agent who is a good fit for you, and work with that person exclusively. As a buyer, your agent is paid by the seller from the proceeds, so no need to jump around. Not all agents like to double-end deals, and most really great agents will not double-end unless it really makes sense- they will refer out to a buyer's agent. You need a relationship with a person who can answer these questions for you on each property and sort through disclosures with your best interest in mind. I also highly recommend taking a class in property management- I tool the CAA class at SFAA a few years ago and it has been very valuable training. 

I agree, honesty is the best policy. If you were (like me about 15 years ago) a young woman investor, you may say you are reporting to other co-owners (true, I had a husband). 

I don't remember what book I read 15+ years ago on the topic, but he recommended not driving a high-end car. Pulling up in your Tesla to collect section 8 rents is not going to go over well in many communities (of course if you are renting swanky lofts at a premium, go fort). Set appropriate boundaries, these are not your friends, be business like and don't be afraid to be a landlord. Take a leadership class, do power poses, shout affirmations at yourself inside your car on the drive over if you have to. Any of this is better than feeling a need to straight up lie.