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All Forum Posts by: Jonah Kolsrud

Jonah Kolsrud has started 14 posts and replied 51 times.

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $241,000
Cash invested: $15,000

There were no reasonable duplexes or triplexes on the market so we made our own. This home had a small mother in law suite attached to the side of it (1bed, 1 bath) but was separated by a sliding glass door. Added a kitchenette, cabinets, paint, +closed the wall and our tenant now pays 88% of the mortgage. Based on comps we should be able to cashflow ~$800-1000 per month once both sides of this are rented. Added bonus was that when we purchased the home it appraised at $13,500 over what we paid.

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

Wanted a deal which eliminated our housing expense either completely or drastically.

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

MLS and used a personalized letter which had a picture of my girlfriend, dog, and myself. Once at the table we negotiated a number of items listed on the inspection to be covered by the previous owners as well.

How did you finance this deal?

Traditional financing (primary residence 5% down loan)

How did you add value to the deal?

Created a income stream where one did not exist. Bought an undervalued home in an appreciating area that should be poised for growth. Created a win win for the buyer because they wanted to sell to a young family who wanted their first home and they left negotiation feeling that they won!

What was the outcome?

Home has been our primary residence and we have had 88% of the mortgage covered. We have now been saving our money to do another deal in 2022.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Refinishing floors was highly time consuming but worth it, most problems in your house that are not structural or major mechanical/electrical issues can be figured out with youtube and elbow grease.

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

Worked with a agent I found on BP and he was amazing! Lender came from a mentor I connected with on BP.

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $241,000
Cash invested: $15,000

Finally in the real estate game after sitting on the sidelines for quite some time. COVID was kick in the butt to reassess goals and priorities in life so we took action. Financed using a 5% down primary residence loan to purchase this SFH. There were no reasonable duplexes or triplexes on the market so we made our own. This home had a small mother in law suite attached to the side of it (1bed, 1 bath) but was only separated by a glass door. Removed the door, put in a wall, added cabinets/fridge, painted, installed a kitchenette, and created a second entrance for us to access the back yard we now have a little duplex. Tenant moved in 6 months after purchase of the home (we did reno work on main portion of the house which took longer than expected) and now pays 88% of the mortgage. While this doesn't cashflow day one it does reduce our biggest expense of housing drastically! My assumption based on comps is that we will be able to cashflow ~$800-1000 per month once both sides of this are rented and we move to our next project. Added cherry on top is the area is appreciating rapidly and when we purchased the home it appraised at $13,500 over what we paid. Hoping within a year with the other improvements made we can cash out refi!

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

Wanted a deal which eliminated our housing expense either completely or drastically.

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

MLS and used a personalized letter which had a picture of my girlfriend, dog, and myself. Once at the table we negotiated a number of items listed on the inspection to be covered by the previous owners as well.

How did you finance this deal?

Traditional financing (primary residence 5% down loan)

How did you add value to the deal?

Created a income stream where one did not exist. Bought an undervalued home in an appreciating area that should be poised for growth. Created a win win for the buyer because they wanted to sell to a young family who wanted their first home and they left negotiation feeling that they won!

What was the outcome?

Home has been our primary residence and we have had 88% of the mortgage covered. We have now been saving our money to do another deal in 2022.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Refinishing floors was highly time consuming but worth it, most problems in your house that are not structural or major mechanical/electrical issues can be figured out with youtube and elbow grease.

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

Worked with a agent I found on BP and he was amazing! Lender came from a mentor I connected with on BP.

Hey BP members, 

I bought my first home back in April and am house hacking by living in one half while renting a MIL suite that was attached to it. This is working out great so far, but I think there is more juice to squeeze from the property. We bought it because it also has a 1000 sq. ft external garage that has a split HVAC unit in it and used to have plumbing maintained in it. 

The zoning in Dorchester county is R2 and from my reading does not allow ADU's, guest homes, or any external dwelling. I can only rent the MIL because it is still technically attached to our home as a room. I have done some research about submitting a variance, but the situation does not look ultra promising. Before I go down that path I was wondering if any of you all have had experiences with variances and perhaps have some pitfalls to avoid or tips of how to make your case to the county on changing the zoning.

Thanks in advance!

Post: Under Contract on Zillow - Fall out rate?

Jonah KolsrudPosted
  • Ladson, SC
  • Posts 53
  • Votes 22

@Sam Horton

Thanks for the advice! Would you recommend that I reach out to the listing agent myself or would my agent be a better source for contacting? 

Post: Under Contract on Zillow - Fall out rate?

Jonah KolsrudPosted
  • Ladson, SC
  • Posts 53
  • Votes 22

Hey everyone,

I am hunting for my 1st house hack in Charleston, SC and have noticed some properties I am interested in that are under contract when I look at them on Zillow. I am wondering if there is a way to tell how long they have been under contract and if anyone has had luck following up on these aging properties?

For example, there is a property that has been on Zillow 150+ days and I am wondering if there is an opportunity to chat with the agent should this fall out. 

Thanks in advance!

@Ryan Kawash

If you're looking for a deal and spending some time working to coordinate the colors/styles use FB marketplace or go to a local auction house near you. Both will have sources of folks looking to liquidate their furniture quickly and you will likely get it for pennies on the dollar.

If you want more standard options and less of a headache it will cost you more. Most big box stores like IKEA, Ashley Furniture, etc. will have a large variety of cookie cutter options to pick from. 

Post: Proving a tenant is smoking inside

Jonah KolsrudPosted
  • Ladson, SC
  • Posts 53
  • Votes 22

@Brynden Noble

Agree with the Alexanders comments regarding camera and documenting to begin with. 

One thing to consider is perhaps allowing smoking outside in an area you designate if you find enough evidence to deem they're a smoker. Might lead to happier upstairs tenant if the downstairs tenant is at least going outside (significantly less smell). Might also prevent any damages to the inside of the property long term.

Just my 2 cents!

@Aaron Rowell 

Sounds like in your case it could be an opportunity to add to the lease and have the tenant pay as long as there is not an issue when they move in. 

Agree with Kyle's comment above on it being highly dependent on property type as well. Additionally, certain niches for instance student rentals it is common practice to pay for all units to regularly be sprayed. 

Post: Working with real estate agents

Jonah KolsrudPosted
  • Ladson, SC
  • Posts 53
  • Votes 22

@Account Closed

An agent is arguably the most key member on your "team" when getting into real estate investing. Treat their time valuably as they are professionals who work on the front lines of making you money. With that in mind, have a specific criteria you are looking to target (price, location, condition, property type, and strategy) before you even start interviewing them.

To find an agent I recommend looking at the forum and posts for your area. When you find very active investors, ask them for recommendations of who they use and typically the same 2 or 3 names will consistently come up in the market!

Last tip is to make a conscious effort to be the easiest client they have ever had, so when that home run deal comes across their desk they immediately think of you as their go to!

Post: Property Management Software

Jonah KolsrudPosted
  • Ladson, SC
  • Posts 53
  • Votes 22

@Bruce Bailey

For a smaller sized portfolio Rentec Direct and Cozy are the ones most folks go with. The biggest factor is user preference on the interface and if size of portfolio. I would recommend trying out free trials on 2-3 and seeing which is the best fit for your criteria. Post below went into quite a few of the different options and some feedback!

https://www.biggerpockets.com/...