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All Forum Posts by: Jimmy Lieu

Jimmy Lieu has started 87 posts and replied 1791 times.

Post: Picking a market (Columbus, Dallas, Chicago)

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Naomi Joo:

Hello everyone,

My sister and I are looking to purchase a property to potentially househack. We are currently located in Houston but my sister will be relocating to Columbus, OH for her residency for 3 years. On the other hand, i am flexible as I work remotely.

Given this situation, we thought about buying a property in Columbus, Oh and been looking but we haven't been able to find a deal we like. And I feel a bit uneasy about holding a property for 10 years to see the profit esp when I wouldnt be living there. Am I overthinking this?

So I started looking at other markets like Dallas and Chicago as those are potential cities that my sister will be relocating to after 3 years. Since I have more flexibility and do not want to live in Ohio, i am thinking that I will try to find a deal in Dallas or Chicago and when she is done with residency, we can continue to build equity and live together. Dallas has good appreciation prospect and seems to be growing and growing. And it would be easier to drive to Dallas to check it out. 


Chicago
, on the other hand, I like that it's a bigger city but also seems like a lot of the houses I am seeing are very outdated and requires fixing which i have no experience in at all. However, we do like the urban lifestyle better.


It's a bit overwhelming trying to pick a market and I assume I can buy in Columbus first and use the quity to buy second one in other cities. However, It seems like the prices are quite inflated and I am not sure how to make a good decision. So I  wanted to get some help and wisdom in navigating what would be the best path forward.  Appreciate it!

Hi Naomi! I'm originally from Portland Oregon and moved to Columbus Ohio around 5 years ago. I would definitely suggest Columbus Ohio as your next real estate market! It's one of the hottest markets in the US right now with some of the fastest population and job growth and companies moving and developing here. I would recommend taking a look into 26B Intel headquarter development, Amazon, FB, LG, Google, Anduril, Nationwide, Ohio State University, and many other companies here! Additionally, you can still find properties for 120-180k that will positive cash flow and hit the 1% rule. Recently one of my clients purchased a $120k single family house and is currently renting it out for $1550/mo. Anything you buy in the Columbus Ohio market is currently blowing up in terms of appreciation growth.

I know you mentioned you were thinking of buying a house in Columbus that would mean holding it for 10 years until you see profit - I do strongly believe you may be working with the wrong realtor or looking at the wrong locations in this case. You can definitely hit the 1% rule and find immediate positive cash flow here! Happy to connect and answer any questions you have! :)

Post: Columbus or Cincinnati for cash flow ?

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Tarek Belal:

Hi all! For those investing in OH, if you're primary goal is cash flow, looking at small multi-family, would you invest in Columbus or Cincinnati ? Pros / Cons of each ? I see both are started to get oversaturated with investors. Thank you!

Hi Tarek! I would recommend Columbus Ohio over Cincinnati for a few reasons! The macroeconomics are on fire here - population growth, job growth, and companies moving and developing here. For example Intel headquarters, Google, FB, Amazon, Nationwide, Honda, Anduril, Microsoft, LG, and many more. Additionally, the price point is still cheap enough to find the 1% rule and positive cash flow and there's amazing appreciation potential. Lastly, the price point is still very cheap here in the sense that you can still find investment deals that hit the 1% rule for 120-180k!

Meanwhile, Cincinnati does have mostly stagnant population and job growth and companies aren't rushing to build and develop here. As a real estate investor, you should definitely focus on investing where the building and development is at (Columbus Ohio). Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!

Post: Columbus Ohio property management ( the good and the bad)

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Frank Lin:

What have you guys heard about Tristam of Cap Rate Realty? Good, Bad?

I hear Donny is C class expert. mixed reviews when i talked to 3 people about him. 

tough to find a dependable PM. 

Happy to make the introduction to my PM whose done a lot of work for me and my other clients! Feel free to PM me and I'll make the intro!

Post: Looking for guidance

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Robert Smith:

Hey folks,

I'm looking to buy my first multi-family and first property in total. I currently live in the Denver, Co area, but I am looking in the following markets: Lansing, Mi and Cleveland, Oh. Would anyone be available to grab a coffee or beer? I'd love to pick your brain about how you got started, mistakes and lessons learned...etc.

Thanks,

Robbie

If you live in Denver, you should definitely consider investing out of state. As an investor, you should look into income hacking. It's a concept which you earn a high income in your local market but you use the capital to invest in a much cheaper up and coming real estate market where you can still find cash flow and tons of appreciation. Personally, I would recommend taking a look at Columbus Ohio! A lot of my out of state real estate clients really like this market because the macroeconomics look so good for this market - population is growing, job growth is growing, and so many companies moving and developing here. Look at Intel headquarters, Google, FB, Microsoft, LG, Amazon, Nationwide, Honda, etc. Additionally, the price point is still cheap enough to find the 1% rule and positive cash flow and it's super landlord friendly (so you will never have to go through a 12 month eviction or anything close to that!). Lastly, the price point is still very cheap here in the sense that you can still find investment deals that hit the 1% rule for 120-180k! Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!

Post: New here-Love to connect!

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Temesgen Merga:

Hello everyone, my name is Gobena. I will be moving to Decatur Illinois soon and would love to connect with realstate investors and Agents around that area. Champaign,springfield,Decatur or Bloomington! 

Welcome to BiggerPockets, tons of great connections and resources here!

Post: Saving for a House Hack

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Ethan Tomlinson:

Hello, my name is Ethan Tomlinson. I am a 22 year old college student at BYU-I. It’s been a dream of mine to house hack the moment I have learned of it, which was four years ago. Listening to countless podcasts and reading tons of books, etc. Since then it’s been on my mind. Aged 19-21 I served a mission for my church in the New England area, but since I’ve been home I’ve been saving money. To get to the gist of things…

I'm wondering if anyone in this local area of south east Idaho knows a lot about the process of getting your first house hack. Costs, getting pre-approved for an FHA loan, who to talk to first. Etc

I have two part time jobs and in total I bring home between 2800-3000 a month. I have no debts, I only have to pay for groceries and gas right now so I’m able to save about 2300-2500 each month after paying my living expenses each month.

Other things to know:

My current savings are about 20k and I have 4k in a Roth.

My credit score has been 750+ for quite some time now


I have only had my two w-2 part time jobs for about a couple months, before then a lot of my labor was 1099 or even just being payed cash, and if I remember correctly you need 2 years of income to get approved for an FHA loan generally.

So what steps should I take to inch closer to obtaining a house hack? It’s killing me more and more not being able to start this, i definitely haven’t done any deal analysis in a while with the calculators, but I used to a lot years back. 

if it helps, ask me questions too! I bet I’m overlooking a lot of things. I greatly appreciate all comments and I will listen, as you reading are the likely seasoned veteran, not me.


You should look to house hack out of state as you'll get a much better bang for your buck rather than doing it in Idaho!

Post: Central Illinois Rookie

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Jai Windish:

Hey everyone,

I am from Illinois and actually closer to Peoria than Champaign, but choices were limited. I am getting into Real Estate investing but am a rookie looking to connect, learn, network, and pick up any lessons along the way. 

Thanks in advance to all.

Jai

Welcome to BiggerPockets Jai! So many great resources and connections here!

Post: Multifamily Investor | Relocating to Columbus | 2–3 Unit Buy & Hold Focus

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Daquan Long:

Multifamily investor currently based in Connecticut, relocating to Columbus in Fall 2025. I specialize in 2–3 unit buy-and-hold rentals with a focus on cash flow, value-add opportunities, and long-term wealth building. I currently own property in  CT and I’m planning to scale to 5+ doors in the Columbus market over the next few years. Always open to connecting with investor-friendly agents, lenders, or local partners focused on lean, ethical growth.

Hi Daquan, I'm based in Columbus Ohio as well! I strongly recommend this market and I definitely think you're making the right choice (I moved here from Portland Oregon)! It's one of the hottest markets in the US right now with some of the fastest population and job growth and companies moving and developing here. I would recommend taking a look into 26B Intel headquarter development, Amazon, FB, LG, Google, Anduril, Nationwide, Ohio State University, and many other companies here! Additionally, you can still find properties for 120-180k that will positive cash flow and hit the 1% rule. Recently one of my clients purchased a $120k single family house and is currently renting it out for $1550/mo. Anything you buy in the Columbus Ohio market is currently blowing up in terms of appreciation growth. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have

Post: Hi Im an investor asking for some advice

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Sona Pierres Girl:

This is my first time posting here. I am purchasing my 4 plex units, have rental property andairbnb property. But also have been interested in flipping/ selling a home for as long as I can remember. I kind of want to do it for a hobby and make extra cash. I saw Michigan Indiana Ohio are good places. I live in Louisiana. Where would anyone recommend and how do I start? Ty

If you're looking to flip houses for fun, I wouldn't do it out of state, it's another beast in itself - you have to make sure you're on top of everything and have a lot of systems and processes in place or else you'll likely be burned really badly. You should instead focus on a standard buy and hold or BRRRR from out of state - these are much more manageable and easier to do. You can still find the 1% rule and get tons of appreciation here in Columbus Ohio!

Post: New investor ready to learn from others

Jimmy Lieu
Posted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Columbus, OH
  • Posts 1,852
  • Votes 1,481
Quote from @Istel Contreras:

Hello, my name is Sofia Contreras and I'm a new investor  in the area of Ashville NC , ready to learn and start getting my feet wet. I'm learning the ins and out of wholesaling but my end goal is to fix and flip and buy and hold properties. Great a portfolio of rental properties and generate cash flow. If you are in the area would love to connect and learn from experience investors that are willing to help someone that is brand new to this business.

Definitely agree with your investing strategy - focus on building your capital with wholesaling but end goal should always be buy as much real estate and hold onto it for long-term. If you're looking for a cheaper real estate market, I would definitely suggest Columbus Ohio. It's one of the hottest markets in the US right now with some of the fastest population and job growth and companies moving and developing here. I would recommend taking a look into 26B Intel headquarter development, Amazon, FB, LG, Google, Anduril, Nationwide, Ohio State University, and many other companies here! Additionally, you can still find properties for 120-180k that will positive cash flow and hit the 1% rule. Recently one of my clients purchased a $120k single family house and is currently renting it out for $1550/mo. Anything you buy in the Columbus Ohio market is currently blowing up in terms of appreciation growth. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have