All Forum Posts by: Rogelio M.

Hey @Austin Berlick!

Really great question. I've been living in house hacks since 2016, and purchased my home to house hack in Nov. of 2021. It may sound a little outdated, but I've always used craigslist to find tenants (and the places I used to rent) but my process is a little lengthy to screen my tenants. I require that we text or email, then have a video call and a house tour video, all before meeting in person. If its someone that lives in the area I meet them at a coffee shop before inviting them to the house. While doing this I am asking questions, gauging how they communicate, and checking for consistencies across their answers and behaviors.

Questions I like to ask:

What do you do for work or your income?

What brings you to town or why are you moving if you live here already?

Have you lived in a shared house before?

What hours are you normally awake/active?

How do you handle conflict?

There's not really right or wrong answers here, but use yourself as a template. As @Scott Mac said earlier, it can be good to have a more homogenous household.

Additionally, I like to start with a 6 month lease. This allows me to get to know how they will be as a tenant, and how I will be as a landlord with out a super long commitment. If issues come up, talk about them, and be receptive to feedback which they may have. Apartments.com has free property management software for up to 10 units. You can screen tenants and charge rent through that platform if needed. I think bp pro members have access to some property management software too! 

Finally, I have house rules and quiet hours. This helps demonstrate the kind of household I run for my house hack. My rules include things like no shoes in the house, clean up after yourself, shared bathrooms must be cleaned regularly. Lead by example for your rules and it will help your tenants stick to them!

Hello @Rogelio M.,

Thank you for the kind words.

On the interview questions - I would add a few questions. Below are the ones that come to mind. Note that I added some recommendations and such later in this post.

• Have you worked with house hackers before? [If the person you're speaking to gives you a deer-in-the-headlights look or asks what house hacking is, you have your answer.]
• If I want to house hack, would the properties be different than for a long-term rental? [For example, a larger property with more bedrooms and bathrooms, an open floor plan, and not located on a cul-de-sac due to limited parking.]
• How would the renovation differ for a house hack? [What you're looking for is an acknowledgment that there will be changes from a standard long-term rental renovation.]
• Will house hacking limit my location choices? [For example, some homeowners associations may not permit you to house hack.]

These are the additional questions that come to mind. Now for my comments.

We have worked with several house hackers, and I recommend buying a property that would make an excellent long-term rental and then using it for house hacking. This way, if house hacking doesn't work out or your life changes, you can turn it into a rental property.

There are some additional considerations on top of the requirements for a rental property. I listed some below.

• We generally recommend a four-bedroom, three-bath house with a three-car garage. If you later decide to switch to a long-term rental, larger properties like five-bedroom houses have a strong seasonal component. Large houses attract large families who typically do not move during the holidays. Therefore, we recommend sticking with a four-bedroom, three-bath house.
• Many homeowner associations do not allow house hacking.
• The number of bathrooms is an important factor to consider when choosing a property. It is not recommended to choose properties where the number of bathrooms is less than the number of bedrooms minus one. For instance, if you have a four-bedroom house, we recommend selecting a property with at least three bathrooms.
• Parking is an important consideration. I recommend a property with a three-car garage because it provides more parking space. I would not buy a property on a cul-de-sac because of limited street parking.
• It is essential to have a property with an open floor plan. People tend to congregate in one area, so you need to have a large flat screen and ample seating.
• A house with a pool might seem desirable, but it comes with additional insurance and maintenance costs, as well as effort. Our clients will install a hot tub with attractive lighting and so forth.

Another consideration is the leasing contract. Do not use something from a stationary store. You need to get a rental agreement from a local property manager and then modify it for house hacking. Also include clear guidelines on quiet hours, cleaning up the kitchen, shared responsibilities, guests, etc.

The major change for house hacking is in the renovation. Below are examples.

• We often install commercial-grade nylon carpets in the bedrooms of our rental properties. However, with house hacking, there may be more frequent changes than with long-term rentals. Therefore, I recommend using LVP flooring instead.
• I recommend using Quickset Smart Key locks on the bedroom doors. These locks can be easily rekeyed by yourself. If you use regular locks in Las Vegas, rekeying costs $85 for the first lock and $55 for each additional lock.
• You may want to install garage door openers that support the myQ protocol and have people open the garage door with their app. This saves you from handing out clickers and changing the codes. You can also do the same with the front door lock. This enables you to make quick changes without doing anything physical.
• I would recommend installing surveillance cameras both inside and outside the property. Inside, cover the kitchen and family areas. This is important for insurance purposes and for identifying the source of any problems that arise.

There are more differences, but they won't change much when it comes to acquiring a good long-term rental. Just be aware that there are some additional considerations.

Hope this helps.

Hello James,

Based on my experience, less than 1% of all realtors are able to select and analyze an investment property. Before starting my business over 15 years ago, which provides investor services, I purchased around 20 properties. All the realtors could provide me were MLS data sheets for the properties I selected. I had to do everything else on my own, which required a significant amount of time and wasted money.

What you need is an investment realtor. In this post, I will discuss the differences between investment realtors and residential realtors, and provide a process for finding an investment realtor.

Residential or "Investor Friendly" Realtors

Residential realtors facilitate the buying and selling of homes. Homebuyers select properties, and the residential realtor provides access. The process is simple. Once the buyer selects a property, the residential realtor facilitates the offer and closing process. Some residential realtors may also sell real estate that will become rental properties. However, they typically only provide MLS data sheets and offer limited value beyond that.

Investment Realtor

Where residential realtors sell homes, investment realtors sell income streams. Investment realtors also provide the information you need to evaluate an investment property. Below is a comparison of the information a residential realtor can provide vs. what an investment realtor provides.

Investment realtors are always part of a team. Only a team of experts can provide the end-to-end processes, skills, and knowledge necessary to bring a property to market. See below for a diagram of the process we follow.

House hacking adds an additional level of complexity. You need to buy a property that will make an excellent long-term rental and a good house-hacking property. This gives you a fallback position if house hacking is not the best option for you at the time. Also, renovation items are different for a property for house hacking versus a long-term rental.

How do you find an investment realtor?

There are thousands of residential realtors in a metro area, but only one or two investment realtors. How do you find one?

Candidates

Start by compiling a list of candidates. Get names from

• Real estate investing websites (such as Biggerpockets.com)
• Property managers
• Local investors
• Talk to real estate brokers
• Google searches
• Local meetups

Once you have a pool of candidates, evaluate each using the following interview questions. The primary purpose of the questions is to determine the individual's character and capabilities.

Interview Questions

Before you start interviewing candidates, create a list of 10 or fewer questions. You won't have time for more, so it's important to choose carefully. Ask the same questions of each candidate and take note of their responses.

Below are some sample questions, along with acceptable responses. Keep in mind that you might not find a candidate with the "perfect" answer to every question, but they should at least provide reasonable responses.

• Tell me about your investment team. - You're looking for a response like, “I've worked with X property manager for years. We've completed X properties. "I work with several renovation companies..."
• Do you or have you owned investment properties? - If they have not personally owned investment properties, I would reject the candidate.
• How many investment properties did you close in the last 12 months? - Some realtors only sell two or three properties per year, which is not enough repetition to develop the necessary processes, experience, and resources even if all the properties were investment properties. I believe that a minimum of 12 investment properties per year is necessary to become and remain proficient.
• Did you or your client select the properties? This is an important question. Residential and investment-friendly realtors do not pick properties. They send MLS data sheets for the properties the client selects. The client evaluates the properties and selects one or more to make an offer. If you do all the work, what value is the realtor providing other than access to properties? Reject the candidate if their client selected the property.
• What were your primary selection criteria? - It could be the initial return, appreciation, tenant pool, or something else. You're looking for a plausible answer based on analytics, not opinion or “feelings.”
• Tell me about the tenant pool you target. - Understanding the concept of tenant pools and their characteristics is not common knowledge. It requires someone with a lot of investment experience. If a candidate cannot provide a plausible answer or does not understand the question, move on to the next one.
• What is the average tenant's stay? - If the realtor is working with investors, they know how long the tenants of a specific tenant pool segment typically stay in the property. If the realtor has no good answer, move on to the next candidate.
• How did you estimate rent and time to rent? - They should be able to describe a process like, "I look at recently rented comparable rentals." Another good answer is that they work with a property manager who supplies this information. If they answer Zillow, Redfin, Rentometer, etc., they do not know how to evaluate investment properties. No real estate sites that I’ve seen provide usable estimates on rent or time to rent. This is critical information when you are looking for investment properties.
• Tell me about your renovation process. - You are looking for an answer similar to, “I work with the property manager to determine a list of renovation items. Next, I work with XXX company to get a quote. Once escrow closes, the renovation company does the work, and the property manager does final acceptance.”
• What else should I have asked you? - This is an absolute golden question. I've learned a lot by asking this question at the end of interviews. For example, I was checking out a neighborhood in an area of Las Vegas I did not know. Nothing looked unusual or concerning. I came across an older woman sitting on her front porch. I talked to her about the neighborhood for a while. As I was about to leave, I asked her, "Is there anything else I should have asked you?” Her response blew me away. She told me that when two drug dealers were on the street, they would occasionally shoot at each other. One was sent to prison about a year ago, and the remaining drug dealer keeps things quiet. I saw nothing to indicate the presence of drug dealing and would not have known if I did not ask the "What else?" question.

If the candidate answered all questions satisfactorily, you can be reasonably assured that they know what they are doing. The next step is meeting their team members.

James, I hope this helps.