All Forum Posts by: Mike Paolucci

Quote from @Steven Olivas:

Hello, I am new to Bigger Pockets and seeking guidance with my first real estate investment. I think now would be a good time for me to invest because I don't have any debt at the moment, and a decent amount of money saved up. 

Hey @Steven Olivas as a fellow CA native and out of state investor, I know it can be little nerve racking to say the least. Ohio is still a great market but when figuring out what market works for you, make sure you look at the drivers (population growth, economic growth and what kind of developments are going on). 

Happy to jump on a call and answer any questions you might have.  

Quote from @Michelle Macias:

Hello, 

My name is Michelle Macias. 

I am an investor based out of San Diego CA. I’ve flipped homes and currently own two multi family properties in the L.A. county area. 

Hey Michelle. I'm originally from San Francisco and ran into those same issues in 2021 when trying to find properties. I ultimately started focusing on the Midwest and have been pretty happy so far. 

Happy to connect and share some of my experiences as a former out of state investor and be a resource for you. Good luck on your journey! 

Quote from @Allan Kapoor:

I'm looking for advice on how to feel more comfortable pulling the trigger on my first out of state rental property. On paper I'm ready - I have the money, I've done the research, I have well-defined property/neighborhood criteriaI, I have an agent, contractor, property manager, lender, etc.

 I'm originally from San Francisco and ran into similar issues that your worried about. Happy to jump on a phone call and share some of my experiences. 

Quote from @Rahul Rawat:

We are looking to purchase a rental property with a positive cash flow, we reside in Jersey City and all the properties seem to be either out of our budget or not having a positive cash flow potential.

Hi @Rahul Rawat. Congrats on taking your first steps. I started off in 2021 as an OOS investor from CA. I was in a similar situation as you with properties numbers not making much sense and ultimately decided to invest out of state and focused on Ohio. So far, I've been pretty happy with my decision.  

I'd recommend finding #1 a landlord friendly state (CA was far from a landlord friendly state) and then looking at macroeconomics for not only the state but the various cities as well. Places with job/population growth and other economic drivers that are helping the local economies grow.

Once you've decided on a market, next step would be to do some research on various property managers and get in touch with an investor focused realtor with some solid connections for everything else (lender / inspector ect. / PM's will have the contractors you'll need and already have good relationships with the boots on the ground). 

Happy to connect and share some of my experiences as a former out of state investor. Good luck on your journey! 
 

Quote from @Natalie Johnstone:

Hi All - I'm brand new and have a goal to buy a property by EOY.  I'm overwhelmed by which market(s) to choose.  

Hi @Natalie Johnstone. I'm born and raised in San Francisco and ran into the same issue when I was starting off in 2021. I ultimately settled on Ohio for a more landlord friendly and better price point/not have to run a negative every month after the property was stabilized. Been pretty happy with my decision. 

Here's an example of why I'm not a big fan of investing in Cali anymore--> "Justice for Renters Act" Not exactly ideal for landlords, imo. 

When picking a market, I would recommend first looking at whether or not the state is landlord friendly and then the macroeconomics (population & job growth / any additional drivers that are helping the local economies) of the various cities you're potentially targeting.

To answer your question about inspecting the property, an investor friendly realtor should be able to help connect you with a local inspector with a good track record and multiple property managers who should also be able to help answer most of your questions. 

 Happy to share some of my experiences as an OOS investor or answer any questions you might have! Good luck on your journey! 

Quote from @Joey Navarro:

Howdy BiggerPockets Fam, 

I feel like I'm in a good place  to finally pull the trigger and invest in my first multi-family property. I plan to house hack for my first  investment property and most likely do the same for my 2nd, 3rd, property as well! 

 Great strategy! I'm house hacking a duplex in Hilliard currently. Excellent way to break into investing and scale your portfolio. I'm originally from San Francisco, CA so happy to help & be a resource for you. Good luck with your journey! 

Quote from @Wayne Toh:

Hi everyone,

I am a recent graduate and working as a Mechanical Engineer in San Jose. I am looking to start my real estate investment journey but it is difficult starting out in the bay area. 

Welcome to the community! I'm originally from San Francisco and ran into the same issue when I started investing in 2021. I ultimately decided to invest out of state where the numbers made sense for me. 

Happy to connect and answer any questions you might have. 

Quote from @Bryan Melendez:

Hello all, my name is Bryan Melendez.

I am new to all thing's real estate, residing in South Florida. After reading several articles and comments, Section 8 has caught my attention for various reasons.

I can't provide much about Pennsylvania or Michigan but I can share some of my experiences about Columbus, OH as a former out of state investor. I personally like Section 8 tenants. They generally stay in place for a lot longer and you don't have to worry as much about late rent. Once you're set up in the system, rental payments are pretty timely. 

The frustrating part can be the onboarding process. That can take longer than most people would be comfortable with on their investment properties but once you're on the books, things tend to run pretty well. Vetting your tenants and making sure the unit is up to the Section 8 standard will be the 2 most important things for making sure you don't run into issues. 
I normally recommend using a Property Manager who works with the program regularly to help navigate the waters. 

Happy to connect and share some additional experiences as a former OOS investor. Good luck on your search!

Quote from @Manuel A Zuaznabar:

Hello everyone,

I've been trying to buy property in my home market of NYC, but it's been quite challenging. 

@Manuel A Zuaznabar if you can find a house hack (2-4 units if possible) deal that makes sense locally, do it. Otherwise I'd suggest looking into other affordable markets that have a good growth rate & other economic drivers. 

I originally started off as a OOS investor from CA and chose to invest in the Midwest. Happy to answer any questions you might have if you're interested in that kind of investing. 
 

Quote from @Manav Kedia:

Hi, I'm a CA resident new to the RE world and looking for suggestions on what are some good cities/areas to buy good single-family/multi-family homes that generates good cash-flow.

I've been pretty happy with my investments in Columbus, Oh since starting off in 2021 while being born and raised in San Francisco. Some other Ohio markets I'd suggest looking at are Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton. 

Happy to connect and share some of my experiences as an OOS investor.