All Forum Posts by: Matt Castillo

@Ali Boone thanks Ali that article did help and I will def be doing my research for the Midwest.

@Ryan Landis I was looking into that area specifically because I lived there for 5 years and am somewhat familiar with the area. When I went to school there I was living in a 4 bedroom house that my friends parents had purchased for 180,000 and we were paying 1800 in rent per month total. So I guess that would be about 1%. Being from Northern California as well do you have any markets you would recommend I take a look at? I appreciate your reply!

@Account Closed thanks for sharing your experience ill let you know what i decide.

@Ryan Landis I am not opposed to looking for a lower price point either. Honestly just looking for the best investment opportunity I can find in the area. When you say lower price point are you referring to a fix and flip or more so a property that will "hopefully" appreciate in value? 

The reason the area appeals to me is that I am familiar with it and travel there a few times a year as it is but you do bring up a good point about factoring in the additional costs.

@Ali Booneok thanks for the heads up I will make sure to double check my numbers. I am still a complete newbie with all of this so I will be extra cautious. Are there any markets that you are invested in that you would recommend I look into?

Thanks for the help!

@Dawn Anastasithanks for the reply! I will check out some of the other posts.

Hi everyone I am looking to get started in real estate investing and have been searching for my first buy and hold property. I live in the San Francisco bay area and it seems that it is pretty tough to find a cash flow property around this area, especially in my price range (150,000- 250,000). I have seen some properties in the Stockton area but have read on this website and other forums of all of the horror stories with other investors in that area so I am a bit skeptical about buying my first investment property there. 

However I have been doing some research in the Tempe/ Phoenix area in Arizona where I went to college, and it looks like a good market for buy and hold properties. I am a little worried however about renting out a property when I am not in state. I am happy to hire a property manager as well but also am aware that its not always easy to find a good one from reading other posts on the site.

So my question to the community is : Would you recommend renting out a property out of state? and if you have done this before What have your experiences been like in doing so?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone my name is Matt and I am living in Dublin California where I was born and raised. I have joined bigger pockets to learn as much as I can about the investing side of real estate and I am currently looking for a buy and hold property in or around the Bay Area. I am also a newly licensed real estate agent and am looking forward to building great networks here and sharing experiences with everyone at bigger pockets! 

Looking forward to meeting you!