All Forum Posts by: Laura Tokgozoglu

We bought our first investment property last month ( a 2br/2ba condo in Lynchburg VA) and they just raised the association fee $25.00...kind of depressing for sure!

Thanks Michael!

Sometimes I find something that looks like a great deal, however I am not in a position to buy it at the time...but I would like to share it with others on BP. Is there a place on BP where this is done? It would be cool if there were! Maybe if there were a "Free Leads" section or something like that...

Done! Education and encouragement is what I get out of Bigger Pockets! Did our first deal last month! 

Thank you Ed! I cannot seem to get a link to it but the address is 

136 E Sheridan Rd  Lake Bluff , Il 60044, If any wants to google it and look at the pictures. It needs a cash buyer, and I do not think I can come up with the cash at this time. The mold does not look as extensive as yours, Ed. I think if it were fixed up it might sell for about $400,000 at least, more if  another bedroom could be added, or perhaps a MBR.

I am interested in some help analyzing this house.

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Lake-Bluff/136-E-Sherida....

It is a 2br/1.5ba

Finding anything in this part of Lake Bluff, east of Mckinley Rd, for under $500,000.00 is rare. 

Would you take on this flip? The moldy ceilings are scary. It has nice bones and perhaps the room with the skylights could be made into a third bedroom?

How hard is it to remove mold? How costly? Looks like it would need a new roof, kitchen renovation, paint, looks like there is some graffiti on the siding. 

Lake Bluff is one of the wealthiest suburbs in our country.

Thanks!

Joe England just did a podcast and he invests in Baltimore City. He has some good thoughts, you might want to listen, it was excellent.

Welcome! We lived in Howard County for 20 years, recently moved to SC but we are planning to go back to Howard County in a couple of years. You might look at North Laurel, the part that is in Howard County. We lived on Steeple Court in a town house there and later we moved to Dayton, MD. The homes in western Howard County are quite expensive. North Laurel is more affordable and is close to Fort Meade and there is always a need for housing for the folks who work there. There is a foreclosure listing at 9535 Quarry Bridge Ct, Columbia going for 170,700. This is one that I would consider a possibility for a rental. We also rented on Stirling Bridge Rd, Columbia at one time and there are some townhomes in that area that would be possibilities. 9668 Stirling Bridge is for sale, also a foreclosure, however is only 2br.... I would also look at properties near Historic Ellicott city, and possibly town homes in River Hill, although both of these places will be more expensive. River Hill is a very nice place to live, with one of the top schools in the nation, River Hill HS. Centennial and Glenelg are also top schools. There is a home being sold as is on Roxbury Rd in Western Howard County for under 300,000.00 Needs work but almost impossible to find something at that price in that area so you  might want to check it out. Hope this helps. Clarksville MD is expensive, but a great place to live. A lot has to do with your price range. Greg Kinnear is a wonderful Realtor, you wont be dissapointed with him! You might also want to look at Sykesville, the Howard County side or even the Carroll County side. Carroll County will get you more value. Talk to Greg Kinnear, he will give good advice! 

I grew up in Lake Bluff IL. Just for fun I keep tabs on properties that come up for sale. I am sharing this listing because I think it could be a good/possibly great opportunity. The house I grew up in recently sold for 790,000. Anything under 500,000 in East Lake Bluff is rare. If we lived closer I would research this property and consider purchasing. But we are not in a position to buy at this time. Anyways, check it out if you are in the Chicago/Illinois/Wisconsin area!

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Lake-Bluff/136-E-Sheridan-Rd-60044/home/17667343

I just wanted to add that if you bought something like 3br, maybe a little older, and managed it yourself, you would most likely cash flow much better than we are. I would also recommend Mickey Herzing, as a Realtor, he has many investment properties in Lynchburg and knows the market very well. We did not use him for our first purchase, we were dissapointed with our realtor,and we will use Mickey in the future.