All Forum Posts by: John Williams

Thank you for your service! I am a veteran as well. I am a broker and property manager here in Clarksville, TN. I personally like the buy-and-hold strategy and we help clients who share this long-term, wealth building mindset. 

My advice would be to drown out the noise you hear from others with positivity and thorough due diligence. As long as you run your numbers and your estimates are conservative, you'll do okay in the long run. Real estate is very forgiving. You won't get rich overnight but you can certainly start to snowball a portfolio and build wealth slowly over the long term.  

Howdy!

Define "better."

What have you achieved so far? What is your vision? What are your short term goals?

Step 1: Ensure you can get financing (is it a cash purchase or will you need a loan). 

Step 2: Narrow down your "buy box" (are you market-indifferent, are you looking for a certain level of cash flow, etc.).

Step 3: Connect with real estate agents and begin making offers!

Welcome to the party! What is your goal in real estate?

Look at "sub" markets of major metros. 

Clarksville, TN has a great balance of cash flow and appreciation and strong fundamentals. We receive a lot of the benefits of being near a major city (Nashville) but not high prices. 

 House hacking is perhaps the best strategy to get started in real estate. Start by talking to a lender to determine how much you can afford (and that you can qualify for a loan). 

Next, analyze deals with an investor-friendly agent. 

Some states may be more enjoyable than others when it comes to running a PM company. It is a great business as long as you have some level as scale.

I like Clarksville, TN because of the strong fundamentals, minimal volatility, and balance of cash flow and appreciation opportunities. 

You'll never retire from flipping because that is active income. If you stop flipping, your income stops. Unless you are turning the profits into buy-and-hold rentals of course!

Cash flow is still possible, just more difficult than it was a couple of years ago! By buying down your rate and placing a larger down payment, you can still achieve true cash flow. 

If you are able, attend a local RE meetup and connect face-to-face with agents there. Pick their brain about investing to ascertain their knowledge.

If not, try joining local real estate groups on Facebook and asking for a recommendation. 

Another good strategy is to connect with a local property manager that does real estate sales, or can refer to an investor-friendly agent.