All Forum Posts by: Ian Dyer

We get best results from Facebook Marketplace & Zillow. We get very little from the MLS and Apartments.com. We do get a few from Craigslist.

We don't pay the $30/month on Zillow. We just use the free Zillow. We paid the $30/mo on a bunch of rentals and it made zero difference.

We use Facebook Marketplace, Zillow, Apartments.com, Craigslist, the MLS (multiple listing service-requires a real estate license).

For Section 8, we also use AffordableHousing.com, which used to be GoSection8.com. We re-list every 3 weeks with the county housing authority, HACSB, but that yields no results.

We get best results from Facebook Marketplace & Zillow. We get very little from the MLS and Apartments.com. We do get a few from Craigslist.

We don't pay the $30/month on Zillow. We just use the free Zillow. We paid the $30/mo on a bunch of rentals and it made zero difference.

We haven't tried OfferUp for rentals. We use it a lot for personal buying/selling. I see a few rentals on there. Does anyone use it?

This is for rentals in Southern California. We also have large signage and tall "OPEN" flags in front of the communities.

Are there any other sites or methods that you're finding useful?

And, for Section 8, are there any other useful sites?

Where is your best place to find good tenants?  

We use Facebook Marketplace, Zillow, Apartments.com, Craigslist, the MLS (multiple listing service-requires a real estate license).

For Section 8, we also use AffordableHousing.com, which used to be GoSection8.com. We re-list every 3 weeks with the county housing authority, HACSB, but that yields no results.

We get best results from Facebook Marketplace & Zillow. We get very little from the MLS and Apartments.com. We do get a few from Craigslist.

We don't pay the $30/month on Zillow. We just use the free Zillow. We paid the $30/mo on a bunch of rentals and it made zero difference.

We haven't tried OfferUp for rentals. We use it a lot for personal buying/selling. I see a few rentals on there. Does anyone use it?

This is for rentals in Southern California. We also have large signage and tall "OPEN" flags in front of the communities.

Are there any other sites or methods that you're finding useful?

And, for Section 8, are there any other useful sites?

 That is great advice from @Michael Smythe. Knock on their door to ask for whatever paperwork they haven't submitted. You'll see exactly how they are maintaining their current home, which is exactly how they'll maintain the next one. 

It sounds time consuming. But not NEARLY as time-consuming as the renovation after a bad tenant trashes their home.

What is d4$?

Nathan, would you mind sharing where you do advertise, other than Zillow? We are in Southern California, but would love to hear any platforms you use.

"Location, location, location" is NOT the first rule for investing in rental real estate. Finding a great property manager is. No matter how great the property or location, if you don't have a great, trustworthy property manager, you've bought yourself a big job. ONLY once you have a great property manager, should you invest in an area more than 15 minutes from your home. Within 15 minutes, you can drive by yourself, whether you want to or not. Farther than that, it'll suck your life dry, unless you have a great, reliable property manager. We've learned this the hard way numerous times. Good property managers are HARD to find. Nathan's advice above is excellent. Yelp & Google reviews are super helpful too. 

Great question. Now, EDUCATION is HUGELY IMPORTANT. But as a rule, college is NOT a good place to get an education these days. It's mostly nonsense and lies. Yes, that sounds extreme. But it's true. I've had 6 kids in college for the past 13 years, and 2 of them are still in college. WAY TOO MUCH of the education is focused on teaching the acceptable left-wing narrative of victimhood and "America is bad". Questioning that narrative can hurt your grade with many professors. 

Hillsdale College is a good place to consider, where you'll be taught to think. Or Patrick Henry. Or Liberty University. I went Harvard and it's a joke these days, one of the many universities where they'll silence, bully and cancel you if you don't toe the line on the leftist narrative. 

No matter what you do or where you go, be a LIFELONG LEARNER, always asking questions, listening, reading, thinking, learning. If you do go to college, remember it's NOT about what you learn, it's about LEARNING TO THINK AND LEARN and grow. 

The first half of Mindset by Carol Dweck is worth reading, to learn to have a growth mindset and to not fear failure but learn from it, and only fear not having tried. 

We'd like to find one LVP product and color that will be available for hopefully 5 to 10+ years. Any suggestions?

I’m hoping to hear from people who own or manage a lot of rentals, 50 or 100 or more.

We manage 150+ units and we want to use the SAME LVP flooring in all. The problem is that flooring manufacturers change what they offer, every few years. We'd rather use the same product and color for many years, so that, on move-outs, if a small area or one room needs replaced, it matches.

I know that flooring manufacturers are always changing their products, because that's best for sales. But I also know there's a huge market of landlords who would love to have access to a good product that doesn't change in color or type over time.

We’ve been paying $1.29/sf. Home Depot Allure is $2.09/sf and I’ve read some recommendations for the Allure on BiggerPockets.

Do you use click-lock LVP with a pre-attached underlayment?

Which one do you recommend and what do you pay?

What volume do you buy it in?

Thank you!