All Forum Posts by: Joseph R.

The beginning is very tough - it's going to take a minimum 6 months-1year to build your business.....this time of the year is very important for 2018 success - you need to build and cultivate a pipeline....here's what you need to do

1.Call expireds and FSBOs - they're your most immediate source of business

2.Cold calling neighborhoods, Just listed/Just Sold - not as immediate as expireds but much less competition

3.Open Houses - try to target fresh listings in popular price points - get everyones sign in info and follow up with them

And obviously if you have any friends or family interested in buying or selling that would be your number 1 source.....the more people you cold call, the more conversations you have, the more listing presentations you do the better you'll get at all aspects of the business.....good luck.

I could certainly assist you in the process. I'm not very active with BiggerPockets anymore, but know the Fairfield Market very well - feel free to shoot me a message! joe

Thanks for the responses guys....I wouldn't say the houses have been selling slow, but they haven't been flying off the shelf either....I guess I'm trying to wrap my head around the value of a top realtor in the area for the cost (30k).....like you said Jay all of our properties are on the MLS and get circulated to all the RE sites/social media, so I'm not sure a realtor could help with that....I guess the main question is how much influence does a realtor have over a buyer? Does a buyer in this price range have a definitive idea of what they want or are they easily swayed? I could see if a buyer was on the fence between two houses, but if a buyer has little interest in our house I can't see the realtor convincing them otherwise. What do you guys think?

Hey guys...I work/invest with a spec builder in single family residential construction not far from NYC....most of our builds are listed between 1-2M - he's a realtor with a brokers license so he lists them all on MLS so we can avoid paying 2% to a broker....my question is are we missing value by not having a top agent on board and having them sell the house? Personally I don't see much value for a realtor in the higher end price point - I think they're more valuable on the lower end but maybe I'm missing the boat here....what do you guys think?

It doesn't make much sense for an elevation certificate to expire - the elevation of the house hasn't changed.....my only guess is surveyors toss that date on there so they can juice you for another survey.

I doubt you'll get a 50/50 partnership with any successful builder unless you're coming in with a ton of capital or a bunch of experience.....the only true way to do it without any special circumstances is to start with flips on your own and slowly build up as you gain experience and money.....its a tough road but the only way to do it.

do home warranties purchased from 3rd parties actually function on structural issues? I'm just wondering how a 3rd party could sell a warranty that will cover structural problems without seeing any of the structures (footings/beams/foundation walls/etc).....I'd imagine somewhere in small print they say structural issues caused by poor workmanship is not covered but I have no experience with these things.

 Alex - out of curiosity what town is this in? We do a lot of construction in the Fairfield/Westport area although paying 1.3 for a lot is a bit out of our target market....think your best bet is to get a site survey(esp if you have wetland issues) and throw it on craigslist....this is a great time of the year to buy a lot in preparation for the spring market.

 No reputable builder is going to agree to this. 

 I wouldn't be concerned with what other people look for in margins/profit, I'd be concerned with what your actual profit would be and if that's worth your time....some people have no problem doing this to make say 40k while others wouldn't waste their time - its very subjective.