All Forum Posts by: Matt K.

Hey Biggerpockets team,

My friend and I are booking to buy our first properties (one condo/townhome each). We are looking for recommendations for good agents and lenders that can work with first time buyers.

Currently we have narrowed down to Hayward, Fremont and Concord based of our budget of 800k to 1 mil for a 3 bedroom apartment/townhouse. However, we are not that familiar with these areas and would love for any insights on these areas. Also, are there any others in the bay that are recommended in this price range?

What are some important questions/concepts we should focus on when buying a personal property? Till now we have looked only at new constructions. 

Regards,

Siddhanth

I'm moving for work to the bay area (Pleasanton) , I see you have an office in Brentwood, how can I find resources so that I can house hack, get funding/loan, or some creative ideas to make it work when I come from a much less cost of living area (Colorado Springs)

@Joe Homs - Thats how anyone sees it by general agreement and thats probably the HOA first response but in this case, firstly I have no idea of this as the base is 100% caulked before I even purchased this, secondly ,if I press the flooring in the bathroom I see water just pops up ,or the hardwood flooring in the living room feels like a bit wet underneath, it could have spread to other apartments flooring as well and it could impact the whole building (you won't know until someone opens the flooring) ,want to brainstorm on how to convince HOA to chip in? or I don't have a chance here ,my HOA is pretty reasonable if they feel justified which I think is the case here

I'm looking to buy my first investment property this year as well. One thing I've been looking at is buying a single family house where I can split the home into 2 units and permit one as an ADU. This would be significantly less expensive than buying a SF and then adding an ADU. I've found a few good opportunities <$1m. Buying a multi-family in that price range is going to be difficult and will also need work.

As far as locations, I’m focused on areas with decent/good school districts where I can buy something a little less expensive. I’ve been looking at Concord since I’m in Walnut Creek - it’s close so I can easily property manage, but the housing prices are less and I expect there to be appreciation in the future as the area continues to gentrify. I stopped looking at areas like Richmond or parts of Oakland where the schools are really bad, there’s lots of public housing, crime, etc. I’ve been in the Bay Area my whole life and while you would think with the housing prices here some of these areas would have to eventually gentrify, there are certain factors keeping them from doing it that aren’t going to change without significant government intervention.

I’m also looking at going up to Sacramento but that’s outside the Bay and you specifically said Bay Area. For me, anything up to 1-1.5 hours away is being considered so I can manage the renovations and property management myself.

Hi, I am looking to buy a multi-family (my first one) in Bay Area. Can someone suggest which are good areas for appreciation and cash flow? My price range is between 1-1.5M. 

Thank you