All Forum Posts by: Matt Santos

Hello Hud and thank you for starting this thread! I'm glad to see a bunch of brothers and sisters from around the country getting after it. 

I'm a lieutenant with Central Pierce Fire & Rescue just south of Tacoma. Been at it 18 years and still have a blast! I like your idea Hud, of some of us getting a meetup started. Let's see if we can work together on some haves, wants and needs!

Congrats on your success in multifamily. You also work for an amazing organization in LACo. Do you see yourself moving into helo ops? ;)

Brian Burke, I too listened to your episode a year or two ago and it made me happy to hear fellow first responders like you and David Greene become so successful. 

Take care everyone and be safe.

@Adam Woznicki thank you for your reply. Have a great week!

@Will Pritchett thank you for the incite. I really appreciate your time. I will reach out. Thanks again.

Hello World...

I've been working on assembling a team in San Antonio and Milwaukee for BRRRR. A conventional lender I was referred to in San Antonio said cash out refi was not allowed in Texas for non-owner occupied investment property.

Is this true? If so, are there more states that have this rule? I'm mostly interested in Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida and Tennesee.

Thank you,

Matt

@Kaven Melton, @Damaso Bautista gave some solid advice. In addition, if you're getting an RE license, do yourself a favor and join a team.

When you're new, a team can help you thru the ins and outs, giving you direction and assisting with difficult situations.

You'll also want to provide great customer service to your clients and shift work makes that difficult, especially when there's something that needs immediate attention and you're on a 911 call.

In addition, your brothers and sisters in the firehouse are going to expect you to be focused on the task at hand while on duty, so having that team will further enhance your customer service for both clients and the citizens. The last thing you want is to develop a reputation as a part time firefighter with your comrades when you're on duty.

By developing a sound reputation in RE and fire service, you'll quickly become a "go to guy" for your crews and have a pipe line of co-worker/clients.

Be safe and Good luck in both endeavors!

Hi Evan!

I'm a firefighter/realtor in the Tacoma area and know of a fellow brother firefighter who's an active commercial investor/educator and actually works near Des Moines. He might have a good contact for you, look him up and he will help. His name is @Jeff Hamel

Good luck!

As Jeff stated, smoke gets everywhere. A house fire creates a lot of pressure and forces smoke and carcinogens into every nook and cranny. We're talking behind door mouldings, under roof shingles, in the walls, etc... 

The clean up costs are immense and if not done properly, the smell of smoke will leach out, especially during the summer when the grain of the wood opens up. If anyone who buys the home has a weakened immune system or respiratory disease, they could react badly to the residual nasties.

If it's isolated to the garage and didn't get into the home, completely gut that area down to the studs and seal it with a high quality sealer. If the wiring, hvac or attic are involved, walk away!

Good luck!

To reiterate some of the other posts, Puyallup is a fine area to have multifamily. It is a good community and has a great school district. The barrier to entry is lower than just about anywhere in King County and it doesn't have nearly the potential rent controls that Seattle is threatening. 

Best of luck!

Hi Rob,

You've already received a lot of good responses thus far, but one thing that hasn't been addressed yet is commuting. As your original question states, you'll be working from home mostly, but from time to time, I assume you'll need to go to Seattle or Olympia. 

I've lived and worked in the Puyallup area for over 15 years and commuting to Seattle and Olympia can be greatly increased depending on which part of the city/region you live. Take, for instance, the South Hill area. It is a great area with a ton of conveniences, but driving isn't one of them. You can add 45 minutes to your commute during rush hour just by living 50 blocks south of the freeway. Same goes for the Bonney Lake area. 

A good place to live for commuting purposes is Edgewood/Milton. That puts you right between I-5, SR167 and between Tacoma, Federal Way and Puyallup. Lots of commuting options there, but usually not too many homes available.

In addition to being a Real Estate Broker, I'm also a Fire Fighter working in the area. I know the region like the back of my hand. There are great pockets of housing in South Tacoma/Spanaway/Parkland/Midland, but you're surrounded by some rough areas.

As far as livability goes, I'd stay in the Puyallup or North Tacoma areas. Both cities have fun places to hang out and there's always something going on. If you time it right, Seattle is only 40 minutes North, Oly is 40 minutes South and you're a little over an hour to the mountains, if that's your thing. Best of luck!

Congratulations Frank!