All Forum Posts by: Natalia Collini

Are you talking about 2-4 unit buildings or 5+? 

In that situation I would go out in distance. No matter where you invest people need to live and if you have desirable properties then you will have tenants. If you begin investing in an area that is less desirable and with better deals then you will be able to build wealth faster. After that you can upgrade your properties into your higher priced area faster and with more wealth and equity than if you had started out there. 

Hope that helps and hope you have a wonderful weekend! :-)

I am shopping for my first house hack currently also and I have to admit I had not considered these questions until now. I'm really glad I came across this post! Great questions to consider AND great ideas to go along with them. :-)

I really like @Sarah D.'s thoughts on #1. I have 5 kids that I'm homeschooling, so tenants approaching me randomly throughout the day is just not going to be an option. 

For #2 I'm going to go off my own personal experiences as a renter. Ideally I would be able to pay online with a credit card or else pay with a check by mail. In the past my options have been to pay with cash, pay via checking account online, or pay with cash or debit via WIP card. None of which are preferable or convenient for me. So I will probably accept checks/money orders via mail or online credit or check payments. I may or may not set up a PO BOX from which to accept the mailed payments.

Thanks again for the thought-provoking post, Have a great day!

Hey Elisha, how's it going? I'm sorry to hear about your lyme disease. That's some nasty stuff there, but I love your positive attitude about everything. You've come so far in your life journey and I have faith that you will be able to accomplish any real estate goals that you set for yourself. 

I'm a mom of 5 under the age of seven and just getting started on my own real estate journey. My husband and I are starting the search for our own first home and we intent to purchase a multiplex property and househack to get started. I'm not sure I qualify as a mentor in any way as far as real estate is concerned, but I certainly am available to network with in the form of support! 

I have to ask, have you ever looked into natural treatments for lyme disease? Over the years I have read and seen many promising things in regards to lyme disease and natural remedies. If you want, I'd be happy to try and dig it back up and find that information for you. Just pm me and we can chat. :-) 

I hope you are having a productive and positive week. Looking forward to seeing you around the forums! 

I knew nothing about real estate investing growing up. As a teen a good friend of mine was the daughter of a man who was very successful with real estate. I didn't really think much of it at the time, but they owned a VERY nice mansion on the lake. (what I wouldn't give to go back in time and ask him some questions about his business. lol) My first thoughts about owning real estate came about 2008 when I began renting a home in Cincinnati from my neighbor up in Cleveland, but it wasn't until about a year ago when I really began seeing that real estate was the answer to our family's problems. The more I learned about real estate the more convinced I was that this was something my husband and I could do together and we started altering our life strategy to include real estate in the future goals. Now we are beginning the search for our first home for our family, but we are making sure that it is a multi-unit property, so that we can have all the benefits of owning a home and the beginnings of our journey as landlords. 

Hey Amy! Welcome to Bigger Pockets. :-)

@Carmen Falcone the point of the FHA loan is to help people who would otherwise not qualify for a loan be able to purchase a primary residence. If you cheat the system and try to not live there the first year I'm pretty sure there are penalties and fines.

You only have to live in one unit for at least a year and after that you can move out and rent the last unit. You may even be able to get another FHA loan in the future after that, especially if you can refinance the first loan at some point.

The number 1 thing you should try to accomplish during your event is to network with as many people as you can. You never know who you might meet! A new potential partner, a mentor, even a private lender who likes to help newbies get started. Get business cards and give out yours, and make sure you follow up with anyone you believe may be able to be a valuable colleague in the future. 

Good luck and have fun! Have a great weekend. :-)

When I was 20 I had no sense of direction. I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to end up in life. By 25 I was desperately wishing that I had figured out who "I" was before I had gotten married with kids because I was floating through life with absolutely no clear idea of what road to take to get where I wanted to end up. 

If I could do it over again I would figure me out before getting involved in serious relationships. I would know what my plans for life were, and a general idea of what actions I would take to get there.  And of course then I would take action! At 29, I have now figured all that out and gotten started, but I feel like I'm starting really late, and it's a lot harder to get it done with a spouse and 5 young kids to take care of. I know, I'm know, 29 isn't that old and I have plenty of time, but it's all relative, right? ;-)

Hope that helps, and have a great weekend!

Everything looks great! The outside of the house is beautiful. Thanks for the inspiration!! :-)