All Forum Posts by: Mark Pijanowski

Justin, Greetings, I was in a similar boat for the last few years. I became very interested in Real Estate while I was in Germany. I listened to all the BP podcasts (starting from the first episode). I recently PCS’d to Boston. While in Germany, I actually bought my first rental property. The Boston market is outrageous, and we don’t feel comfortable jumping in just yet. However, networking and partnerships is probably the best way forward. I’m currently working with my father to split another rental. Not sure if you have family or friends (that you can trust), but that might be a way forward. Best of luck.

Typically the home must be turnkey In order to use the VA Home Loan. The Property must be your primary residence for at least 12 months (you can move out sooner). Ultimately you can purchase a livable home that needs work and renovate while you live there. Once you force that appreciation (maybe not as much if you bought a fix and flip), but then you can refi with another home loan. This will free up the VA Loan money for another deal. Rinse and repeat. I’ve been stationed outside the US for the last eight years and that’s is my strategy when I finally get back home. Lastly, the va home loan guarantee allows you to buy up to a 4-plex. So alternatively, you could house hack. Best of luck. -Mark

BP Family,

Thanks for the great info.

Charlie MacPherson, we appreciate the info, but we're looking to stay within the greater Boston area.  Once we move back to the States, we'll have lodging for at least 60 days.  So we'll certainly need to move fast.

Steve DellaPelle, Thanks for the insight, we're looking at Lynn (not sure how far that commute is, but certainly the price range we're looking for. We're using the VA Home Loan, so we're not looking to put any money down. In order to make the numbers work, we're looking for a house between $350-375K. We'll renovate while we live in the unit to force appreciation. Since we're moving in two years, our hope is to build some equity in the house before we move.

Kyle Joseph, this is absolutely something we're interested in.  I wont arrive stateside until May, but I'll be sure to swing by.

Thanks for all the great info.  I'll be in touch with the agents that listed their contact info.  Really excited about this opportunity.  We're still not sure if I'll drive or train, but generally speaking the Train seems like the best bet from the South and driving is slightly better from the North.  

@Sam Magina The office located right downtown at 99 High St, Boston, MA 02109, USA.  Any commute between 30-45 mins would be tolerable.  I have a car, but wouldn't mind taking the train (rail or subway).  Thank you, looking forward to the lobster rolls!

My wife and I recently got into Real Estate. We purchased our first home here in Germany and are getting ready to PCS to Boston (military). I'll be working at FEMA and am looking for a reasonable suburb to commute from. We're looking to use the VA Home Loan Guarantee for this purchase (so no money down). Initially, we're looking for a LIVABLE SFH or MFH that we can renovate while living in it. Ultimately, we're looking for an up and coming neighborhood with good schools. We just don't know enough about the city to make a solid decision. If anyone has experience in the Boston market, we're happy to hear your input.

Thanks so much all around. We appreciate all the great info. We’ll explore options into the SDIRA as my wife isn’t technically self employed, since she works as a teacher currently. However once we get back to the states, we’re looking to get into real estate full time. At that point she’ll be “self employed”. Presumably we can’t stand up a “business”, but I’ll check the resources and see what meets the legal definition of being self employed.

We are looking to transfer my wife's 401K to a Solo 401K and use the money to invest in real estate. She is no longer employed by her former company. After researching, we understand the differences between the two, but we're looking for a step-by-step process. Do we need to open an LLC? Do we have to go though a financial organization, like sense financial? Thanks in advance!