All Forum Posts by: Joe Timko

@Brian Nguyen Brian, I’m actively looking for small apartment buildings to purchase in the inland empire and high desert. I’m looking for value-add properties. Properties that are run down, have high vacancy, etc. that I can buy under market. The past month I’ve been watching the market in those areas to see if there is any price movement in the negative direction. But haven’t seen much yet, but I think in the next few months we may see it.

@Brian Nguyen yes

@Brian Nguyen Brian, I own a few small multi-family in Rialto and San Bernardino and a couple single family rentals in Hesperia. There are still good deals to be found in the Inland Empire and the High Desert ( Hesperia, Victorville, Apple Valley). I’m actively looking for either a few flips or buy and holds in the Inland Empire.

@Anna Lee hi Anna, last year I found a duplex for my daughter in LA. She was able to buy it FHA with 3.5% down. We got the sellers to credit us with 5% of the purchase price for closing costs and repairs. So she got in with almost nothing down. It needed a lot of work and the rent control rules in LA City are terrible. We knew it up front but it cost her $16,000 for relocation fee to move the tenant out and it takes 60 days. But we worked through it, the tenant moved out September 2019. We got her unit rehabbed and she moved into it in October. The other issue is the tenant in the other unit pays low rent and she is limited on how much she can raise the rent. But she's happy, got into to her first investment at 25. So it can be done. But obviously with only 3.5% down, living in one of the units she's paying about $1,500 per month after deducting the rent she receives from the tenant.

@Matthew Montemaro Matthew, you can do it in the LA area. I recently found a duplex for my daughter in LA. She purchased it with 3.5% down FHA. She moved into one of the units and rents out the other. It's not positive cash flowing but her payment is less then she would be paying for a similar unit if she was renting. She also gets the tax benefits of owning and the appreciation of a property in LA. It needed some repairs/upgrades so we got the seller to credit her with money to do the repairs.

@Joe Timko thanks Robin. Join my meetup group and you will get an email reminder when I schedule a meetup.

@Joe Timko not sure if that link works if not try this one.

@Robin Morales Robin I host a meetup the first and third Thursday of the month at my office in Claremont. We just focus on education, no up selling or expensive groups to join. See my group at

Joe Timko

Jeffrey, I would definitely look to buy a duplex/triplex. Live in one unit and rent the others. If possible try to stay out of the city of LA, Santa Monica, Venice since they have the most restrictive form of rent control. But, in California you can't completely get away from rent control, the state just passed state wide rent control. Recently sold my daughter a duplex in LA (I'm a Broker), she is living in one unit and renting the other. She works in LA and wanted to be very close to her work so she bought in the city of LA. She bought with an FHA loan, only 3.5% down. Working out well for her.

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