All Forum Posts by: Chase Keller

I 2nd @Tyler Rasmussen and EPM as well.  They have a great reputation in the market

Hello @Lucas Miles.  I run a property management company here in the Des Moines area.  I'd love to chat to see if there's a good fit.

Mentors of mine, Robert Helms and Russ Grey, always said, "Live where you want to live, Invest where the numbers make sense".  I love that you're open to looking at new opportunities and new geographies.  
That being said, I chose to move to Des Moines both because of the real estate market and the standard of living.  I have a bunch of kids and schools and amenities for them were important.  

I'd love to help on any questions if Des Moines is a hot contender.

Hey Deena,

You know my very low opinion of Top Shelf. 
Spire is good, probably my top choice other than Max Property Management.

Most commercial lenders won't do much with FHA. I've worked quite a bit with Mike Kentfield on a wide variety of products, but I also have a couple other great lenders on the Househacking side.
Erik Abrahamzon at Fortress Bank

I also have a mortgage broker that’s helped dozens of our clients. 
Shoot me a DM and I’ll get you their contact. 

Definitely local here in Des Moines.  The big lenders are difficult to work with and I have never heard of a time in the last decade where their terms could complete with local banks. 
If you’d like, I can send you some good lenders that work very well with first time buyers, but also understand Househacking and the investment world. 

@Cody Hawkins,
That's exciting!  Obviously you'll find a ton of advocates of the benefits of RE here, but you're definitely getting on the right boat!  
Househacking is one of the best ways to get started in RE, I did it myself and have helped several people through that strategy to get the ball rolling.  
I'd start the conversation with a good lender so you know what you can do to get you into the best position when it's time to make the jump.  I have some good recommendations if you'd like.  
I'm also a big fan of the MTR strategy, there are a few different types of tenants in that world that will determine where you'll want the property to be located.  
I'd love to help where I can, reach out with any questions you have

Hello Braintrust!

I have a Health Club / Fitness Center that's been closed for a few years.  It was the best and nicest property when it was built and was very popular for a long time, but it didn't get the reinvestment that it needed, tired out and eventually closed a few years ago.  It's a sweet property with a pool, 12 racquetball courts, basketball court, locker rooms with showers, sauna, hot tub & steam room.  over 54,000sf total, so this place is huge, it had a full kitchen and bar area, billiards room, tanning rooms, salon.  Also has a daycare attached, so could be a lot of different things with that area.  

I'm looking for ideas on what this property could be.  Obviously a revamped health club, you could take down walls between the racquetball courts to have other uses; 20' tall rock climbing walls, pickleball, practice rooms for local clubs and teams, an adventure park or entertainment park.  I've had some other, but related users come look at the property; Boys&Girls Club, a charter school, someone that wanted to convert into .  

It's in a great location in Des Moines, on a major corridor with 29,000 cars/day, mile from the interstate.

What are some ideas that may have worked in other markets?  I'm open to any ideas.  I'm excited to see what can be done with this property!

Here's the property if you want to see what it is now.  Click the link here.  Oakmoor Racquet Club

Investment Info:

Small multi-family (2-4 units) other investment.

Purchase price: $380,000

This 2050 square foot multi family home has 2 bedrooms and 1.0 bathrooms. This home is located at 621 Ovid Ave, Des Moines, IA 50313.

There's a new company that's getting started that will deal exclusively with Short Term Rentals and Medium Term Rentals in the Des Moines area.  It's being started by a client of mine that has been very successful.  It hasn't been officially announced yet, so shoot me a message if you're interested.