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All Forum Posts by: Kiernan LaFaver

Kiernan LaFaver has started 2 posts and replied 128 times.

Post: Investor Friendly Attorneys.

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44

I have a handful I can recommend! Send me a PM and I’ll send you contact info

Post: New to Investing – Looking for Guidance and Hands-On Experience

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44

I would recommend figuring out your specific goals firstly. Are you looking for cash flow, appreciation, cash on cash, etc? Multi vs single family? As you suggested, meeting with local investors and people in that community can be a huge bonus in terms of building your network and finding deals. There's a thousand different ways to go with real estate investing, sometimes it can be difficult to narrow in on one or two specific paths. If you ever have any questions, I'd be happy to help however I can!

Post: Do I need license to rent

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44

I'm in NY, so the requirements may be different. In my area, if you own an investment propert/non owner occupied, you need to add it to a separate registry and file with the municipality in order to legally collect rent and have backing in case of eviction. I would recommend calling your local codes department or planning board

Post: New Student of Real Estate Investment

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44

You've definitely come to the right place. Something I would recommend from experience working with people is to figure out your ideal niche and stick to that, at least just starting out. Ie// fix and flip, single family vs. multifamily, etc. It can be very easy to get tangled down in the weeds of all the different strategies. Is there a friend, family member, or colleague that has real estate investing experience? Having a solid mentor that can show you the ropes and quicken your learning can be invaluable. Always happy to chat if you ever have any questions. Good luck!

Post: Management company recommendations

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44

Hey Dwight! I have a few I can recommend as well, for the city and suburbs. Send me a DM and I'll send them over

Post: Looking to purchase next property

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44

As others suggested, I would recommend house hacking (roommates) or house hopping (buying a new primary residence then living in it for a few years, then moving). This will likely be one of the only ways to obtain a smaller down payment as investment loans typically start at 15-25% down in my experience. I would definitely recommend going slow, and making sure you have solid financials on each property compared to trying to get as many as possible in a short amount of time; no need to put yourself in financial stress. HELOCs can be tricky with repayment periods and variable interests

From what I'm seeing, it looks like (and should continue to look like) the clay, Cicero, and Liverpool areas are expected to get some of the higher appreciation in the coming years due to close proximity to Micron (Zip Codes 13039, 13041, 13088, 13090). Also in close proximity to micron are more rural areas, like Phoenix (13135) and Lysander that could likely be targets of development in the coming decade. Similar neighborhoods/suburbs to Clay/cicero would be in the east side of Syracuse, like DeWitt, Fayetteville, and Manlius. I've noticed quite a few price drops in SFH in these areas in the past few weeks due to shifting market conditions. All of these areas have relatively stable rent prices and notable appreciation rates

Post: BP business membership

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44

Has anybody used BP business membership to generate leads for their business? I’m an agent and am considering purchasing, but would love feedback if anybody has used this feature/has results yet. TIA!

Post: Looking for advise from seasoned investors in Rochester and Syracuse areas

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44

Hey Reza! I’m in the Syracuse area and work with quite a few investors! There’s definitely some things to be wary of, particularly the Rental Registry within the Syracuse City Limits. Rents are mostly at market rate, and are for the most part, fairly consistent around the city. The suburbs of Syracuse also present many opportunities, with most municipalities having lesser restrictions for rental properties. I’d be happy to chat with you/answer any questions you may have about the Syracuse/Central NY region!

Post: ROI Questions for Single Fam Flip

Kiernan LaFaverPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 137
  • Votes 44
Quote from @Elizabeth Nolan:
Quote from @Kiernan LaFaver:

As far as ROI, there are a few givens that will always give the majority or even dollar for dollar back, such as landscaping, flooring, updated kitchen and bathrooms, and security systems. Those are always a huge YES. In my personal opinion, I wouldn't be as worried with some of the niche items, like a surround sound system, smart features, sauna. I work with a lot of buyers and most of the times they do not care about these items. I've noticed some demographics, such as older generations, don't necessarily care for all of the bells and whistles. I do agree that mechanical upgrades are a good idea if necessary, those are almost always a safe bet for ROI and resale-ability. It seems like landscaping/exterior is a large aspect of this property, so in that case I would put a good chunk of my efforts there

Thank you for the feedback. I can especially see older buyers not necessarily valuing or even wanting the smart features. It’s interesting you list security systems … is there a type you recommend? In the house I live in with my family we have a Ring system and it never gets turned on. How about motion sensors on a long driveway with a chime in the house?
ADT is pretty easy to work with, I have contacts that I recommend to my clients when they close on a new home. I do like Ring as well, but to my knowledge their product line is fairly limited compared to other whole home security systems. I would primarily be focused on the main areas…gate, doorway, front/backyard, and garage if that applies