All Forum Posts by: Martin G.

I saw an Instagram story the other day that really resonated with me about reconnecting with BP podcast content on road trips, which leads me to ask everyone: WHAT are your favorite podcast episodes that blew you away, taught you a lot, or inspired you?  

Favorite episodes for me are those with @Jered Sturm, @Brie Schmidt, @Ben Leybovich, Jesse Fragale and Austin Fruechting. 

Please drop your stand-out guests or episode numbers below for me and others to check out as we hit the road this holiday season.

ALSO, I'd like to send a big shoutout to @David Greene. He's one of the clearest thinkers and explainers I've ever heard on any podcast or on any topic. That guy needs his own show!

Thanks in advance and happy holidays.

@Jacob Fabrey

Welcome to BP. My first thought on reading your post is that you should start investing in Cincinnati and use what @Brandon Turner might call your "unfair advantage" and leverage your Cincinnati connections into a network that could support your investing from afar. There are already loads of investors on either coast that invest in the midwest (besides Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Indianapolis come to mind) because of the market challenges in getting started in a place like California. You could really hit the ground running with your connections here if your friends and family know of reputable contractors, management companies, electricians, etc. 

And there would be a tax advantage of investing in Cincinnati: trips home to check on properties and do research could provide tax deduction opportunities for trips you presumably already take. The recent podcast with Amanda Han gives LOADS of good advice (as I imagine her new book written with Matthew McFarland does.)

I should also mention a tidbit culled from many hours of listening to podcasts that comes from none other than @Joshua Dorkin: within an hour or so of some the most expensive markets are other, more reasonably priced markets that might provide you an entry to beginning your portfolio. Hopefully, this holds true in sunny CA.  In researching local markets, try to do as much reading of local business journals and some driving (being sure to save mileage records for your accountant) to get a feel for areas with growth potential where you can acquire properties in solid neighborhoods with opportunities for forced appreciation (i.e. improvements you can make to the property to add value and raise rents.)

And while ALL the podcast have great tips, a few of my all-time favorites are: #14 and #61 with @Ben Leybovich, #152 with Ben, Serge Shukhat, and Brian Burke, #151 with Clayton Morris, #78 and #132 with Brie Schmidt, #119 with Graham Mink, and #165 with Natali Morris. 

Congratulations on saving 50K; best of luck!

Hi DL, 

From my dashboard, I can see a box on the right with gray font that shows how many colleagues I have, how many views, votes, etc. If I allow my cursor to float over the number of colleagues I have (in my case, 29) and and then click on it, it appears to show all 29 in a grid. I guess this isn't working for you, for some reason ?

Marty

Hi Travis,

I'm glad to see you post on this topic, as I've also had the same thought about the west side of Cincinnati and wondered about the more desirable, solidly working-class neighborhoods. I've got a few co-workers that live over there and intend to pick their brains soon. I'll let you know what comes up; maybe we could meet up for a walking tour sometime. 

I'm also interested !

Hi, and thanks, Mindy !

Yes--and I should have mentioned: I bought my first triplex on an FHA and therefore am ineligible for a second. Great idea though.

Hello everyone, 

I'm looking at moving into a four-family and am exploring financing options. Because of the high purchase price, I'd like to only put 10% down. A couple of brokers have said that due to current guidelines, the max for owner-occupy 4 fam is 80% LTV, and that an 80-10-10 isn't permitted with this set of variables.

I'll continue to make phone calls, but thought that I'd ask our community of creatives to weigh in. 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts !
Marty

Thanks, everyone !

I'm about to buy a foreclosure for flip, and I'm given the option of going with the bank's title company with title insurance paid by them or securing my own title company at cost to me.

Is there a compelling benefit to having my own title company and not going with the bank's people? I'm leaning towards getting my own, but please tell me if I'm being overly paranoid.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Marty

Thanks, Darrin and Roy. This gives me a good place to start and I'll have a better idea once I go in with my contractor and his electrician. I just didn't know if this was something run-of-the-mill or more involved. 

I appreciate your input and the spirit of generosity is why I love BP !