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All Forum Posts by: Jonathan Watson

Jonathan Watson has started 6 posts and replied 40 times.

Post: Property Management in Inland Empire

Jonathan WatsonPosted
  • Investor
  • Glendora, CA
  • Posts 41
  • Votes 72

Hi Serena... the house never actually went on the market, so we never had to get a PM company.  Sorry!

Post: Morris invest - any insights?

Jonathan WatsonPosted
  • Investor
  • Glendora, CA
  • Posts 41
  • Votes 72

@Chris Clothier In the latest BP podcast you said you guys do 17 deals a week right now.  That would be 884 deals a year.  You've been ramping up to this level for a long time now... do you think Morris Invest can feasibly get to 1000 deals a year in less than a couple years?

I wanted to figure out how long they've been operating as a register company, so I tried to find the official company name for Morris Invest... either as an LLC or C/S-Corp, but no luck. Anyone else with more experience in researching businesses able to find that info. By my own judging it really look like they only took off after appearing on the BP podcast and promoting it on other tech podcasts. So, that makes it... about 18 months of real marketing and sales (he appeared on the 12/2/2015 podcast)?

I find it hard to believe. But, I could be wrong.

Thanks @Allen Fletcher and @Thomas S..

I'm leaning to refinancing right now.  We don't plan on staying in this house (it's 6 of us--me, the wife, and 4 kids 6 and under--in a 1400 sqft home).

Our goal is to move into a larger house in our city (I live 2 miles away from my business, and the school system is amazing here)--but those 2500 sqft houses are upwards of $800-900k right now.  We have a good deal of other liquidity right now (cash and some long-term stock) that, in addition to our equity, we can use to put 40% down on our next home... I'm just waiting for the top of the market to turn now.

Just looking for a little advice/insight into how best to approach my mortgage.

Current Situation...

I have 15yr fixed on my primary res. with 14 yrs left.  I owe about $225k on it still (home is worth about $485k). Interest rate is 2.75%.  Payment (not taxes/ins) is $1640 (paying $1100 of principal every month).

I also have a HELOC (currently at 4.75%) for $125k (remaining balance of $45k was used to purchase 2 out-of-state investment properties, cash-flowing about $400/mo after mortgage, insurance, taxes, HELOC payment).

Should I...?

Refinance into a 30 yr fixed, with a monthly payment of about $1050.  I would pay down the principal about $350/mo.  I would gain an additional $600 of cash every month which I'd like to use to store up for future investments

Should I refinance and take the $600 additional monthly liquidity for future investments and thus lose the amazing 2.75% interest rate...?

What would you do?

Post: Morris invest - any insights?

Jonathan WatsonPosted
  • Investor
  • Glendora, CA
  • Posts 41
  • Votes 72

Same here, @Todd Krzeminski.  I bought a turnkey in Franklin, IN (about 15-20 miles south of indy) through Norada, and it's cash flowing about $250/mo on it.

I'm already my own boss with my own business and employees, so making real estate a full time gig is not going to happen.  That's why I go turnkey.

Right now, though, I'd say the deals that were around even last year just aren't there right now.  I'm biding my time, and saving my money until there are some real deals to be had.

Post: Morris Invest Case Study 2.0

Jonathan WatsonPosted
  • Investor
  • Glendora, CA
  • Posts 41
  • Votes 72

Yeah, but he's talking about $40,000 properties, not $30,000 properties... get your facts straight! :-P

Post: Morris Invest Case Study 2.0

Jonathan WatsonPosted
  • Investor
  • Glendora, CA
  • Posts 41
  • Votes 72

Yeah, if it's taking this long, it certainly doesn't match the Clayton Morris's elevator pitch on his show.

For example...

I purchased 2 turnkeys in Sept. 2016 (I worked with Norada--signed the contract on 8/29, I think), I had a renter in one on day one (11/10/16), and had a renter in the other on 12/1 (I did offer a 1/2 off your first month's rent on this one to make sure I had a tenant in ASAP--I know that finding someone to move in around the holidays can be rough). One property cash flows about $150, the other $200.

I've already received 2 months worth of income from both properties.  Now, these aren't the types of properties Clayton Morris is selling--one is in a A- neighborhood in Franklin, IN and worth about 115k, and the other is in Memphis and in more a B- neighborhood (worth about $70k).

I did run into some insurance issues--but that was on my agent, not me or Norada. 

Has Morris Invest been communicative regarding your property?  This is looking less positive by the day...

Post: Morris Invest Case Study

Jonathan WatsonPosted
  • Investor
  • Glendora, CA
  • Posts 41
  • Votes 72
Brian Freeman You should probably disclose that you were a guest on his most recent podcast now too. If you have Clayton Morris's ear, you should encourage him to answer a lot of the questions surrounding his business here. There's a lot of unease. His input could put those questions to rest.

Post: Clayton Morris Invest

Jonathan WatsonPosted
  • Investor
  • Glendora, CA
  • Posts 41
  • Votes 72

Essentially, Morris Invest wants all-cash purchases on $50,000 houses in C to D neighborhoods. You have no real exit strategy on an investment like this. Take the $50k and use it for a couple of down payments on homes in better areas where you'll actually have the ability to sell the SFR to a family if you want to, not another investor.

I own a home in Franklin, IN, just south of Indy.  It's a B+ or so area, with good schools, and a nice smaller town feel.  I know I could put this house on the market and recoup my costs right away.

Before I purchased a turnkey home, I talked to about 15 different providers, talked to 10 different property mgmt companies, and analyzed hundreds of turnkey possibilities before making a decision.

My turnkey home is cash flowing about $200/mo for me (which includes 20% for vacancy/capex/repairs and 10% for prop mgmt--from a liquid point of view, I'm really cashflowing closer to $450/mo until I hit some vacancy or repairs).

Yes, you can cash flow with turnkey homes, you just have to know who you're buying from, be confident in the property management, and have ALL the exact numbers in your calculations. And, YOU MUST still have an exit strategy.  Clayton's homes are in areas where home ownership is low, and the only other buyers are really other investors.

Don't trust what any turnkey provider says.  Do the research yourself.  I think you'll find there are far better options that a $50k home in D neighborhoods of Indianapolis.

Post: Morris Invest Case Study

Jonathan WatsonPosted
  • Investor
  • Glendora, CA
  • Posts 41
  • Votes 72

Shouldn't all this explosive growth mean that they have more people than "Dave" answering phones and "Nicole" communicating about operations?  The notion that they don't respond to emails within any normal time frame (of 24 hours), is a big red flag.  If there's an "explosion" of business, there should be a corresponding growth of employees.  I'm not seeing that, and--as a current successful business owner (with 8 employees)--there should be SOME sign of business growth too!