Skip to content
×
Pro Members Get
Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
ANNUAL Save 54%
$32.50 /mo
$390 billed annualy
MONTHLY
$69 /mo
billed monthly
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
×
Try Pro Features for Free
Start your 7 day free trial. Pick markets, find deals, analyze and manage properties.
All Forum Categories
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

All Forum Posts by: Nilusha Jayasinghe

Nilusha Jayasinghe has started 9 posts and replied 25 times.

Thanks all! I decided to leave it in a high yield savings account due to the reasons you all mentioned.

@Jonathan Klemm I'm in Logan Square.

Quote from @Dominic Mazzarella:
Quote from @Nilusha Jayasinghe:

Hey all, I'm a smalltime investor currently living in a flat of a Chicago 2-flat while renting the other out, and also have a SFH rental in OH. I'm not looking to scale anytime soon. I have my personal emergency fund stored away in a HYSA, and am working to build up a15k property reserve as well, but am conflicted on where to keep that 15k. We don't have kids (might in the future), my husband and I are young and healthy, have stable high-income full-time jobs, and just put in a lot of work to both properties so don't expect huge expenses in the near future. Both properties are in A areas with great tenants. I know that the general guidance is that emergency funds aren't to be invested, but given our financial security and the fact that we already have a personal e-fund in a safe, non-volatile location, would it still be crazy/unwise to invest this 15k in an S&P500 index fund in a brokerage?

I've looked through the forums and can't find answers to a question similar to mine so I thought I'd post. Would love to know your thoughts and hear if anyone does anything similar with their personal vs property funds. Thanks in advance! 


 Yes, it would be unwise to put this into an index fund like that. The market is at historic highs and could break at any moment. Emergency funds are for just that, emergencies that you can’t foresee. 

I suggest finding an online bank that gives high interest rates. There are plenty of them out there that keep pace with or beat inflation. 

Just to beat a dead horse, we could see a recession in the future where you and/or your spouse lose your jobs. This could be coupled with the a dramatic drop in the S&P 500 which would feel pretty awful. This could also force your current tenants to lose their jobs and need to move out and then you’d be in a real bind. I’ve seen this happen to people and it’s devastating. If anything, your emergency savings should be significantly higher and you might be over invested right now. 

 Thank you for putting things into perspective @Dominic Mazzarella. I knew I had an uncertain feeling about the idea of investing that $$ for a reason...

Quote from @Tim Delaney:

It sounds like you would be in a good position to invest some or all of the RE emergency fund in a “safer” index fund. But there are a couple things to consider. I know you said you don’t expect anything major on the properties soon, but I would take a careful look at what is most likely to need to be replaced soon and figure out how you would pay for that if it needed to be done tomorrow. Could you put it on a CC and pay it off within the billing cycle with either your income or selling some stock if absolutely necessary?

The other thing that concerns me is you mention that you are both high income earners but that you are “trying” to save an emergency fund. Are you able to reduce your expenses quickly and easily if needed? Is your $15k even enough of an emergency fund for you personally? 

 Thank you @Tim Delaney, these are great questions for me to think about. As for the first, yes we'd be able to do that (for example, replacing a water heater which is the mechanical that's closest to the end of its useful life). For the second, by "trying" I don't mean that we're struggling to do that but I see why it comes off that way. I just meant to say that it's our next goal to build that up, having just gone on a spending spree on fixing up both properties in a short period of time. I think we can reduce our spending quickly if needed. I'll keep thinking on these questions!

Hey all, I'm a smalltime investor currently living in a flat of a Chicago 2-flat while renting the other out, and also have a SFH rental in OH. I'm not looking to scale anytime soon. I have my personal emergency fund stored away in a HYSA, and am working to build up a15k property reserve as well, but am conflicted on where to keep that 15k. We don't have kids (might in the future), my husband and I are young and healthy, have stable high-income full-time jobs, and just put in a lot of work to both properties so don't expect huge expenses in the near future. Both properties are in A areas with great tenants. I know that the general guidance is that emergency funds aren't to be invested, but given our financial security and the fact that we already have a personal e-fund in a safe, non-volatile location, would it still be crazy/unwise to invest this 15k in an S&P500 index fund in a brokerage?

I've looked through the forums and can't find answers to a question similar to mine so I thought I'd post. Would love to know your thoughts and hear if anyone does anything similar with their personal vs property funds. Thanks in advance! 

Good to know @Mila F.. That's the same site that my brother uses for his rentals, but I read somewhere that the emails that tenants get from that site can be mistaken for spam since they look outdated apparently. But glad to hear you're getting good results with that site, I'll consider it too then.

Thank you for all the insight everyone! I will definitely collect SSN then, and look into the different screening softwares/services you all recommend. Really glad I have the BP community to help with these questions!

Thanks all!

@John Warren Good to know that Smartmove worked out well for you! Is there something you didn't like about it that made you switch? Also John, do you have a specific way that you store tenant SSNs that you collect on paper applications (maybe just a lockbox and then shred when you don't need anymore?)? Do you ever store applications with SSNs digitally?

@Nathan Gesner thank you. As far as I know, SmartMove provides a Transunion credit report but it doesn't give you the FICO credit score. They provide a "resident score" which is their proprietary calculation they've come up with similar to a credit score but apparently it's more robust and comprehensive. I just wanted the credit score since that's something I already know about and know how to assess.

Hi all,

I'm a new small-time landlord figuring out my process for screening tenants for an apartment in Chicago. It seems like most all popular screening services like Mysmartmove, Rentspree, etc use the Transunion "resident score" instead of producing actual FICO credit scores for tenants. I wanted to ideally use a minimum credit score cut off for tenants since that's something I'm familiar with and know how to interpret, so I'm wondering if you all do the same and if so, what screening service do you use that gives you tenants' actual credit score? For those that don't go by the credit score, can you tell me how your experience has been with using the "resident score" for screening?

Also curious to know if you all collect tenants' SSN, maybe  in case of future evictions, dealing with sending tenants to collections, etc? If so, do you use anything to double check that the SSN they're providing is actually theirs? Finally, do you know if there are any legal requirements for how landlords need to store tenants' SSNs?

Thank you in advance for all of your expertise and help as I try to learn!

Quote from @Paul De Luca:

 Thank you for the rec, yes I called his office :) 

Hi all,

Does anybody have any recommendations for architects who are self-certified and specialize in Chicago residential properties including 2 flats (what we have)? I'm interested in talking to someone about getting our nonconforming basement up to code to either duplex down or make it a legal unit if ADU ordinance passes city-wide. Thank you in advance!