All Forum Posts by: Joe Norman

Welcome Joseph! There are some great neighborhoods in Baltimore for buy-and-hold investors following the BRRRR strategy, but there are also some neighborhoods where the cash flow numbers look great, but you'll have trouble on the refinance "R" because of the quality of the homes and low comparable sales. Where ever you decide to invest I suggest you get a strong local advocate to work with you. Good luck!

Thanks for the info Nicole!

Sounds like a great strategy.  I suggest you contact a local mortgage officer to verify the you only have to live in the property for a year (I recall the term being longer, but it could vary state-by-state or I could just be remembering incorrectly).  EItherway that is a great way to start building your wealth at an early age.  Good luck to you!

I have not had an experience with Alive.  However I can tell you that Baltimore is a town of neighborhoods, and each neighborhood is unique in terms of real estate values (prices can even vary greatly block-by-block within a neighborhood).  Before you make any out of town investments I strongly suggest you engage a trusted partner who knows the area and knows it well.  I'd be glad to look over anything for you if you'd like a second set of (local) eyes on it.

Welcome William! You'll find a lot of great people here on BP and also in the Baltimore REI community. Good luck and Happy New Year!

Welcome to BP! You'll find that the BP is a great place to get help and to contribute. Also if you haven't gotten involved in the greater Baltimore REI community yet you should, there are a lot of great people out there who want to help as well. Good luck!

Hey Dan, you're correct that investing in real estate can be overwhelming - especially at the beginning. Going to REI club meetings and networking is a great place to start, as are readying some of the great books on REI that have been published. Feel free to get in touch with me if you'd like to talk.

Thanks for the response Mr. Parrish!  As a point of clarification, the Special Mobility Housing Voucher is about social mobility and making sure voucher holders are living in affluent areas, and isn't about physical handicaps.  Its akin to a Section 8/Housing Choice voucher however it can only be used in certain census tracks.

Thanks again for offering your experience.

Hey all, I've got a rental property in Perry Hall, MD (just outside of Baltimore) and an applicant has a Special Mobility Housing Choice (MBQ) voucher.  I don't have a problem in principal with renting to a tenant with a voucher (I had advertised the property on GoSection8.com, which is how she found me), however I don't have any experience with it.  Is there anything in particular I should do or know about the process?  Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I agree with Russell in that there are a lot of opportunities in Baltimore on the MLS that are overlooked by investors. However I do disagree with the characterization that "nothing moves quickly" - a quality rehab will go under contract quickly as long as it is priced and promoted properly. Its tougher to find MLS deals in Harford County, but they are out there.

Good luck!