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All Forum Posts by: Lawrence Potts

Lawrence Potts has started 8 posts and replied 440 times.

Post: Investing in the Oregon market

Lawrence PottsPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 449
  • Votes 409
Quote from @Eric Lee:
Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:

Corvallis ???  


I did some work in Corvallis and thought about investing in that area as well...just seems like Eugene would have a more robust market. But I may just need to do some more research into the potential opportunities that Corvallis may provide!

Like @Jay Hinrichs mentioned, it’s more expensive, but for reasons. Corvallis is notoriously “anti-building”, a more hyper-inflated market inside of its own bubble compared to the rest of the willamette valley. OSU enrollment continues to grow and it ranks in the top 10 in the nation for highest enrollment to lack of housing ratio in the nation. No surprise, this, along with job growth (HP is a large employer) forces prices to stay high as demand creeps up too. If you can find the right deal at the right price, there’s a lot of equity and appreciation to capitalize on. But the cost to play that game is higher than the likes of Eugene or Roseburg or Salem. But the above statement is easily used generically for any market. 

We had an investment group willing to come in and zero-lot line a dilapidated apartment complex in Corvallis and give the tenants the opportunity to buy to help solve our affordability crisis here, but nonetheless, the city forced their hand by needing a half-street development after changing zoning that killed the deal. It’s an uphill battle with the city; many investors can look at this and see that this only forces appreciation and get in even though the cost to play is high.

Hope that makes sense. And not to drag the city through the mud. Just the reality of our market here and us trying to find ways to solve our serious housing problems.


Quote from @Talia Bollard:

I am also new to real estate investing and looking to buy a second home in the Newberg area and or possibly Salem. Most of these posts are in 2018 is obviously more expensive now.

I agree, I was reading through them and was very confused 😂

I will advocate for @Grant Schroeder he has the local knowledge with incredible real estate knowledge and backing that makes him an excellent resource in the area.

There are a lot of tertiary markets in between Newberg and Salem, I’d love to hear more on your thoughts on these markets, I’d be more than happy to help in the search too. Grant and I have helped a lot of local investors get started in the willamette valley with house hacking multifamily or buying live-in flips, or just strictly investment properties to add to their existing portfolio.

Post: Small and Mighty Real Estate Investor Hopeful

Lawrence PottsPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 449
  • Votes 409
Quote from @Chris Watkins:

I agree with building upon a successful strategy, rather than stepping too far out of your comfort zone early on. With interest rates and inventory where they are on-market, you're likely to have too much competition to win a good deal off of the MLS. Either finding off-market properties, taking on a rehab project, or looking at STR/MTR are going to be needed to get a foothold in this market. @Lawrence Potts knows the area well and can speak to the availability of properties and what kind of strategy might best fit your skillset and goals.

Thank you Chris! Happy to help however I can @Daniel Lee

Post: Small and Mighty Real Estate Investor Hopeful

Lawrence PottsPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 449
  • Votes 409
Quote from @Daniel Lee:

Hi BP Community,


Introducing myself as a "new" member, though more like newly active member to the community. Looking for cash flowing single family homes in the Portland, Beaverton, Newberg, Salem areas of Oregon. Currently have two long term rentals and looking to slowly and deliberately scale in a disciplined way.

Thanks!

Happy to have you here, Daniel! I went to college at George Fox and live just south of Salem. More than happy to connect sometime!
Quote from @Chris Watkins:
Quote from @Brian Kloft:

Anyone on here very familiar with Ashland OR and or live or work there? We might have an opportunity there but are not as familiar with the inland cities of Oregon as we are the coastal towns. Our son will be going to SOU in the fall so we are a little familiar with it, just not as much as we would like and so we have some questions.

 @Lawrence Potts splits time between Salem and Ashland/Medford area, so he'd have some insight!

I went to SOU for about a year and grew up in southern Oregon, I’d be more than happy to take a look and see what you’ve got going on.

Thank you Chris!

Post: Cash Flow in Oregon? - Albany, Lebanon, Corvallis

Lawrence PottsPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 449
  • Votes 409
Quote from @Chris Watkins:
Quote from @Chris P.:

@Tanner Lewis Thanks for the reply, seems like driving for dollars or connecting with a wholesaler would be my best bet to find a property to brrrr.

@Chris Watkins thanks for the insights and suggestions, Chris (great name by the way!). I realized really quickly while browsing the likes of Zillow that there aren’t simple turnkey 20-25% down properties and will need to be creative with a solution. My wife and I are considering multifamily house hacking but seems like inventory is very slim around my area and retail prices still don’t make sense for cash flow. We have small children so I think the benefits would really need to outweigh the negatives to make a move like this. We would plan to keep our current home and rent it out as well if we did this.
I appreciate your insight on the tenant-landlord relationship, makes sense to target a better quality neighborhood to hopefully prevent some of those issues.

@Mike Grudzien Thank you! Looking at local groups, it looks like we have one that meets very close to me in Corvallis. Eugene is a bit of a drive, but I’m sure the insight gained would be well worth it. Would likely start more locally and venture out from there. I appreciate the recommendations!


Wholesalers can be a good source for off-market deals, but the challenge is that a quick close (10-20 days) is often necessary to buy from them, so traditional financing is often not an option. That means that you're likely going to either need to pay cash or use a hard money lender to buy the property. If going the hard money route, you need to have a relationship with one, be pre-approved and ready to go fast when a deal comes available. All adds up to a lot for a first-time investor, so proceed with eyes open.

You're also right that small multi-family properties are hard to find because they are attractive to investors. House hacking is a great way to start if your family situation will allow it, paying 3.5-5% down instead of 25% can be a huge advantage. Keeping your current place as a rental is also a great move, though lending guidelines have changed recently to make it a little harder to count that rental income when qualifying for the new place. Traditional lending will be easier to get, but you'll still want to be pre-approved, connected with a good agent, and ready to pounce on a good deal, as they move quick!

If you can connect with @Lawrence Potts or @Dan Gandee, they're both great resources for investing in the valley. I can help on the lending side if you have questions there!

Happy to help out @Chris P. My wife and I got started house hacking in Lebanon and Albany. Send me a message or give me a call and then I can get you connected to the REI group in Corvallis.

Sometimes wholesalers are assigning contracts to other wholesalers without even knowing it. So by the time it gets to you, it may have already passed a few assignments. Which can cause higher risk of the deal falling through if any of those parties fail to perform. Very common with inexperienced wholesalers.

Post: Cash Flow in Oregon? - Albany, Lebanon, Corvallis

Lawrence PottsPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 449
  • Votes 409
Quote from @Chris P.:

After years of being on the sideline, finally taking the plunge into real estate investing. Prices here in Oregon just don’t seem to support real estate investing in my area of Albany, Lebanon, Corvallis. I have hesitation with out-of-state investing, and I would like  be hands on with my rentals as well as not use a property manager. I know Oregon has its issues with being a very tenant friendly state, but people are making it work. How are people investing here and making cash flow? I get you can make anything cash flow if you start with a big enough down payment. Would appreciate any and all suggestions and guidance!

Thanks

There’s a Corvallis/Albany REI group as well if that is a closer commute for you. There’s a private FB group that we can add you to.

Post: Property managers in Medford Oregon

Lawrence PottsPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 449
  • Votes 409
Quote from @Jarrett Fogelman:
Quote from @Lawrence Potts:
Quote from @Jarrett Fogelman:

Hi,

I currently have 2 SFH properties here in Medford Oregon that I am self managing.
I am moving out of state this summer and looking to find a trusted management company to help manage my properties for me. 
any good recommendations?

Thanks for the shoutout @Chris Watkins

Cornerstone is my usual go-to. Very knowledgeable and have great levels of communication. Just not a fan of their platform, they use Buildium. It’s fine. Just not my preference. Hope that helps!


Just talked with Eli. They sound great. 
thank you!
Eli is the man! He’s got a good grasp of rent rates in the area 👍

Post: Property managers in Medford Oregon

Lawrence PottsPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 449
  • Votes 409
Quote from @Jarrett Fogelman:

Hi,

I currently have 2 SFH properties here in Medford Oregon that I am self managing.
I am moving out of state this summer and looking to find a trusted management company to help manage my properties for me. 
any good recommendations?

Thanks for the shoutout @Chris Watkins

Cornerstone is my usual go-to. Very knowledgeable and have great levels of communication. Just not a fan of their platform, they use Buildium. It’s fine. Just not my preference. Hope that helps!


Post: Multi family financing

Lawrence PottsPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Posts 449
  • Votes 409
Quote from @Dennis Fergus:

Hello, bigger pockets community. I bought my first house hack in Salem, Oregon in 2021. I have struggled to buy another property with high prices, high interest rates and my debt to income. My goal was to buy a small multi family once a year, but has been challenging as a solo investor. My goal is to own a minimum of 10 properties. I haven't really looked at out of state investing because of the down payment. Locally house hacking solves the low down payment problem while living in the house for one year, moving out renting out the property and buying another.  Creative finance sounds amazing if I could find seller's willing to work with me. Any help would be appreciated. 

I'm curious about your current house hack situation. Did you buy a multifamily or did you buy a single family home and rent the rooms out? Depending on what it is, it will impact your DTI. And what mortgage did you use? FHA has specific requirements for second home purchases.

When my wife and I bought our first home back in 2018, we bought a SFR and ran into that DTI issue. So we sold and bought a multifamily and it was easier to scale that way. Not ideal because we wanted to grow and selling felt like a backwards move, but it was the best move for us at that time.

@Chris Watkins thank you for the shoutout! I can get you connected to the group! We also have a group that meets in Corvallis too.