All Forum Posts by: Jose Ruesta

@Jim Goebel no worries at all. Just love seeing the progress.

@Jim Goebel Looks great, can't wait to see the finished product. 

@Matt DeBoth This is great! outstanding job. Looking forward to getting to DSM really soon.

@Matt Fisher 

I thought I was going there also until I contacted my Unit. I cant wait to get there to actually go see the areas in person. Ill get a better understanding of each of the areas once i'm there. 

@Stuart Grazier

If it just my decision, I would for sure do a MF but I also understand my wife's input of not sharing a wall. I have been looking at houses with basements that i could turn into a Air BnB at least and semi house hack my stay there. 

I was stationed in Colorado Springs. Loved it there, I spent most of my time deployed though and didn't think about buying. I wish I would have though. 

@Jason Bergan 

I do see many new homes coming up in the Ankeny area, is there a reason for the influx of new construction? 

What areas are you seeing in the SW and NW that have new families and young professionals? 

@Bob Rubenking 

Thank you for you service as well. I bought my property back in 2013 and we loved the house so much that we didn't fully work out the numbers (still learning). I keep seeing West Des Moines and Ankeny come up with the type of SFR we would like. Its a matter of finding the right investment that makes sense financially.

@Jason Bergan Thank you for your input,

You bring up some things to think about, although we would much prefer a SFR a townhome is not completely out of the question. I just want to make sure that the numbers are in my favor when its time to rent it out 2-3 years down the road. I also thought I would be working at Camp dodge but that is not the case, I'll be somewhere near South Ridge Mall.

I am willing to commute 45 minutes each way if it means ill have a better deal on a property.

@Matt Fisher HOA's are definitely something to keep a close eye on. I did take a look at the townhomes that Jason recommended and they don't look bad. I can't wait to get to Des Moines IA to actually start looking at the properties myself and get a real feel for the area and property.

I need to educate myself to ensure my numbers will work in my favor once its time to rent keeping in mind I will a good property management company once I leave. I plan on attending some RE meet ups in DSM once I'm there to network with people and maybe find someone with plenty of experience who wouldn't mind kinda showing me the right way of doing thing. 

I really appreciate the time you Gentlemen took to give me some input. 

In your opinion what are the most low vacancy or high demand areas to live in in DSM? 

Collin,

I appreciate your reply. I’m not planning on selling the house at the moment. Although a refinance is not out of the question.  

In regards to the old adage, I want to make sure I find the right property this time around. Don’t get me wrong I love my house in SA. But breaking even isn’t fun. 

I appreciate the information. 

Do you have experience with multi family homes as well as SFRs? 

Hello team,

My name is Jose Ruesta and I'll soon be living in Des Moines IA. I am an active duty Soldier and have been in for close to 14 years. The only real estate experience I have is when I bought my first SFR in San Antonio TX almost 7 years ago and has been rented out for the last 3 years. I bought a really nice SFR with the intent of renting it once the Army moved me but didn't really do my DD taking into account expenses that come with renting out a property. I pretty much break close to even minus expenses such as paying for things around the house when they break.

Now the Army is moving me to Des Moines IA and i'm looking to buy SFR that my wife and I will truly enjoy while we live there for the next 3 years but keeping in mind that we need to rent it out once we leave. I want to be cash flow positive when it's time to rent it out. I have entertained the idea of buying a multi-family residence (duplex-triplex) but the down side for us would be having to share walls with tenants. I am sure that buying a duplex or triplex could be a better financial decision but we also don't want to share walls like we have been at current duty station (I know I can't have it both ways).

I think I'm also open to an easy level of a fixer upper to fix over my time there.

I am hoping to connect with people who have already gone through this type of dilemma and hear what your thoughts are.

*I will be using my VA loan to purchase this home.

Please let me know if you have any questions at all and i'm extremely excited about starting this process. I want to do it right this time.