All Forum Posts by: Justin Brown

Hey @Kevin C. fun question! A few things to think about are just making sure you have a clean transition strip. I had my wood guy make me a custom oak step down piece from my kitchen to my dining room that matches the dining room flooring.  I would imagine that to look fine with any material you pick as long as you can get them to match the wood stain color. The engineered product is much better for handling abuse aka your dog. Just make sure its actual wood veneer. 

But lastly I would say just make sure that whatever you pick is something that you just love, particularly if it's your primary residence that you plan on living in for a while. My flooring store does $8/sf all in for new oak so the price you were quoted sounds good to me depending on how much they charge for labor.

Good luck!  

Hey @Vee Vu what do you mean by dominate? Like who are the bigger employers? Culture of the area? We have a huge health care population here as well as a few anchor fortune 500 companies. The low taxes compared to NJ brings a lot of folks that commute to their jobs in NJ and NY but live in the suburbs around here. Also both Allentown and Bethlehem have a lot of great history. 

PS. Welcome to the East Coast!

1/2) as already said it really depends on the specific neighborhoods. 3.) Come to our Meet up on Thursday and check out Downtown Allentown PA! 4.) As Brian mentioned the Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton market or Lehigh Valley as is locals call it is a great place to invest. Their are a few key developers that are building high rises and bringing in tons of long term lease businesses that are creating demand for higher class rentals for the new growth in the population of working professionals. Properties are still affordable with potential for good appreciation all the while cash flowing great!

Hey @Carlos Zapata I don't work in NJ but a colleague of mine does a great job with investors and has a dual license in PA and NJ, give him a shout! Dakoda Reece, https://www.zillow.com/profile/zuser20160115085231...

Any discussion topics people would like to cover next week? 

Sorry if I’m jumping in on this late but I love this question and have some strong thoughts on it. I fall in the camp of strongly encouraging not going with several realtors and just building a strong relationship with one good one. There are definitely unquestionable pros and cons with both sides but here are just a few points I think of. 1.) As a realtor when I come across a good deal who do you think I’m going to send it to? The guy who I know is using several other people or my friend who I know is loyal and I can work with to close a deal. 2.) When I get to know you I can learn your finical and investment goals, what works for you, what you would be interested in taking on and so forth. If you have time todo that with 20 agents go for it! But more than likely that will be more successful with just one. 3.) Realtors ethical and legal duty is to sell listings. There are various reasons to have listings exclusive or “pocket” but the goal is to sell all listings at the best price and that means marketing it to as many people as possible. So just be cautious relaying too heavily on a large group of realtors because they have access to off market deals. All of my in-house transactions have been where they are still posted on the MLS. Also keep in mind if it’s off market for a short period till the agent posts (waiting to take photos, sellers moving out, etc) it you will not have a good chance of getting a good deal because they will want a near full price offer sense they have not had a chance to see what the market says. If it’s been on the MLS for a bit of time then they will be more likely to entertain lower offers. Hopefully some helpful points to think through, great question Brian Garrett!

Hey @Joe Colasuonno the Business Community at Forty South is a new downtown Allentown Co-Working space that has a space to host our meet up. I made a plug for the co-working space over in the market space but I am part of getting it off the ground, its just getting started and thought it would be the perfect space to host this kind of event.  The website is currently a little sparse for content, but you can find it at fortysouthllc.com, hope that helps!

Has your business grown to the point where working from home is holding you back? Tired of running around to coffee shops and diners for business meetings? Wanting to be viewed in a more professional light by renters, contractors, and lenders?

We are excited to invite you to join us in the exploding downtown Allentown scene by taking up residence at the Business Community at Forty South. Just steps away from the county and federal courthouses, post office, and the vibrant downtown business community, this strategic address is what you require. Continue to grow your business in a professional environment alongside other motivated like-minded individuals. Host your clients in style with attractive shared lobby, reception area and conference room facilities without breaking the bank. All amenities packaged in one affordable price, including fully furnished office space, robust WI-FI, centralized printing, 24/7 access and state of the art building security. Multiple floor plans to choose from. Set up a tour of the facilities, and find one that fits your needs.

Call 814.933.8623 OR email [email protected] to book your facilities tour and reserve your spot.

Sorry the Meet up info didn’t attach. 7-8:30pm. Post any topic discussions you would like to talk about!