All Forum Posts by: Marcello Di Gerlando

Thanks guys! I appreciate the feed back.

Does anyone have any feedback about this book? Is it worth the money? I just saw it listed for almost $600.

"The Dealmaker's Guide to Commercial Real Estate", Ray Alcorn

coming from a newbie; any suggested reading by BP members is always appreciated!what do you recommend?

Thanks Jon,
Considering condos and town homes have varying HOA fees does the 50% rule go out window when evaluating these properties?
I have read a great many of your posts and they are very informative and inciteful, thanks again you’re a great help!

As a newbie I have more questions than answers and any answers I get seem to generate more questions.
Thanks to all of you for your insight the combined knowledge on BP is a fantastic tool.
With advice from some of you, it has been suggested that I invest in my education. I completely agree. I already have a BA in business admin with a concentration in entrepreneurial management. And at some point I will pursue my masters.
Here's a list of options for newbie education in REI (from a newbie's point of view).
In your opinion what set of skills would aid a newbie the best for buy and hold investing? What license or formal training should be considered as essential to success for REI? Here is my short list, what would you suggest?
• Real Estate license
• Appraisal skills
• Home inspections
I am not interested in get rich quick seminars, but rather a more formal approach to education. So if you have opinions about the correct path for REI education please share.

Thanks for all the comments. I have to say I am little discouraged. I have known a few folks who have been very successful with commercial real estate and multifamily properties. And I am eager to give it shot for myself.
Like many others, I believe we are hovering around the bottom of the real estate market and interest rates are very appealing. So if I’m going to pull the trigger I think now would be good time.
To answer your question Jon, I just turned the big 40 I have a stable job, I’m an my Officer and I’m currently deployed in Afghanistan. I tired of multiple deployments it puts a huge strain on the family. I have a serious choice to make when I get home. Stay 10 more years to earn my retirement or find another gig. I really want to find another gig. I’m willing to go out on limb and take some risk here for the benefit of the family. Any other assets I have are tied up and can’t be liquidated easily and definitely wouldn’t cover our retirement.
I do have the option of borrowing from a hard money lender, but truthfully I would rather not go there until I can prove to them and myself that I can do this. Thanks again.

How would you leverage a 100k cash and a fully paid off 400K house to build wealth in this economy? …and no current debt.
I am interested in diving into the multifamily market. I’m a newbie and plan on making my first acquisition before the end of the year. I have been doing my homework and have an idea on how to run the numbers to filter prospects. I also have been doing my market analysis for the area I’m interested in buying.
I’m interested in what others have done in regards to extracting equity from a primary residence to fund the purchase of an income property without going cash broke.

I ‘m looking to dive into the multifamily market, I’ve been doing my home-work and I’m working with a realtor…I have lots of questions. Here is my first.
If I am using the 50% rule to quickly evaluate operating expense for a prospective multifamily property. Should I also add vacancy and credit loss to estimate Cash Flow before Taxes? Or does the 50% rule include vacancy and credit loss?