All Forum Posts by: Mark Frattini

@Ben Matiella

Hi Ben, house hacking in San Diego is definitely possible. It's being accomplished all the time regardless of current market conditions. It is one of the best ways to get going with investing especially if you are currently renting where you live. Reducing your monthly living expense is putting money back into your pocket ie. cash-flow.

Hey @Ali Rafie

I missed your first post and you probably have already found out that a 5+ bedroom anywhere in San Diego under $900k is going to be difficult. If you can get by with a 4+ bedroom your options really open up. Make sure your MLS search includes homes with an office/den/office/bonus space/converted garage etc. that you could easily convert into an extra bedroom. This would be a great value add opportunity to create a home that otherwise would be out of budget. I would be looking at Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, East County, Spring Valley, Escondido and Oceanside. Best of luck with your search 👍

Hello @Jose Julian Negron Mendoza

The best way to determine what your home should rent for is to take a look at the comparables. Look for similar homes in your area and see what they are renting for. You can also check out Rentometer. I am happy to check the comps for you as well. Happy to connect and give you my opinion of rental value. 

Hi @Kevin Atkinson

Unfortunately the answer to your question is.....it depends. Some buyers will not consider purchasing a home with a pool due to extra costs and maintenance, additional liability, increased insurance, reduced yard space etc. There is some market research out there that says it's possible for a pool to add up to ~7% increased value. A general rule is that if the home is in a higher-end neighborhood and all of the surrounding homes have pools then yes it could add value to your home. I would personally only recommend adding a pool if the cost is worth it to you and your family. You should not only consider the cost to build but also the ongoing monthly outlay. If you're looking at it from a ROI standpoint it may not pencil out.

Hi @Jake Rodriguez

Happy to get you connected with a few local lenders who can help with a HELOC.

Hi @Ami Son

Solar is expensive and your tenants already pay for their own electric and gas. What made you decide to take on the responsibility of the electric and charge them back?. Have you looked into your options for separating the water between the units? Submeter, RUBS etc. Since you didn't get into this to barely scrape by you do have options to get tenants in at market rent.

@Ben Pepin

Congrats on getting started! It's definitely possible to house hack in San Diego and have the numbers make sense...it's one of the best ways to springboard your investing journey. 

@Anthony To

Check with Lovering Remodel and Construction.

Hi @Marco Pangilinan

Are you planning on living in the property? La Jolla is in the city of San Diego and therefore falls under the 1% cap. You would be exempt from this if you used the property as a primary residence. You could also rent out 30+ days to avoid the 1% limitation. 

Hello @Sophia Oberlander

What are you hoping to accomplish by selling your condo in SD and buying somewhere else? Are you after more cash flow? Do you have enough equity in the condo to pull out cash to use towards your next investment? Depending on when you purchased the condo here you should have benefited from the recent rapid appreciation. Can you find a way to keep the San Diego condo and still make it work?